Sabotage attacks target Oando’s pipelines in Bayelsa
Nigerian oil producer Oando Plc said three sabotage attacks had targeted its pipelines in the oil-rich Bayelsa state in the south of the country over the past week.
The incidents involved the 18-inch Tepidaba-Brass crude oil pipeline in the Brass local government area and the 24-inch Ogboinbiri/Obiobi gas link in Southern Ijaw district, Oando, which now owns Eni’s former unit Nigerian Agip Oil Co, said late on Friday.
The company has activated emergency response to contain the impact and deployed leak repair teams to the affected sites, a spokesperson said in a statement.
Oando said it is working with authorities to conduct a joint investigation visit to determine the extent and cause of the sabotage.
After the visit, the company will commence full-scale repairs to resume operations “as quickly as possible”, Oando said.
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Pipeline sabotage and crude theft are some of the major reasons that oil majors like Shell, Exxon Mobil, Total and Eni have sold their onshore and shallow-water fields in Nigeria to concentrate on deep-water operations.
The ongoing issue of pipeline vandalism in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region has been a persistent challenge for many years.
Such acts not only lead to significant production losses but also deter foreign investments in Nigeria’s oil sector.
Major international oil companies like Shell, ExxonMobil, Total, and Eni have previously divested from onshore and shallow-water assets due to these risks, opting instead for more secure deep-water operations.
The recent attacks underscore the fragile balance between operational resilience and systemic risks within Nigeria’s energy sector. Local grievances over land use and compensation issues often fuel tensions between communities and oil companies like Oando.
