Reps Committee Proposes Special Court for Oil Theft

The House of Representatives special committee on crude oil theft has called for the establishment of a special court to expedite the prosecution of crude oil thieves and economic saboteurs. This proposal was made during a stakeholders' meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

The committee, chaired by Alhassan Doguwa, emphasized the need to review Nigeria's legal framework to effectively tackle crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism, which significantly undermine government revenue and threaten energy security. The committee noted that existing laws, dating back to military rule, are inadequate to deter increasingly sophisticated criminal networks.

Stakeholders agreed to collaborate to address legal bottlenecks hampering the fight against oil theft. The committee also expressed disappointment over the absence of representatives from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission at the meeting.

The committee aims to ensure that Nigeria's oil assets are fully developed for national benefit and that offenders are appropriately punished.