NIGERIA: Reps Committee Seeks Special Court to Fast-Track Trial of Crude Oil Thieves

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria

The House of Representatives Special Committee investigating crude oil theft has proposed the establishment of a special court to prosecute oil thieves, warning that outdated laws and weak penalties are undermining efforts to curb economic sabotage in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

Chairman of the committee, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, made the proposal during a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, saying the existing legal framework no longer reflects the gravity of crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

Doguwa said, “We have also recommended in previous bills before the House the possibility of establishing a special court for these kinds of crimes because the crimes themselves are special. If we allow these criminal cases to go through the conventional court system, considering the delays involved, many of them will remain unresolved while the criminals escape appropriate punishment.”

He said the committee would work with the Office of the National Security Adviser to strengthen laws and close legal loopholes exploited by criminals, noting that obsolete legislation dating back to the military era had weakened prosecution and deterrence.

Doguwa added, “Unless we provide new measures, new laws and a new legal framework, the courts will continue to rely on obsolete legislation in handling serious criminality within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.”

The committee also criticised the absence of key regulators, particularly the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), from the meeting, describing the development as counterproductive to efforts to combat crude oil theft.

Representing the National Security Adviser, Director of Energy Security in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Goodluck Ilajufi, urged lawmakers to strengthen the punishment regime for oil thieves and vandals.

Ilajufi said, “After enormous state resources are spent arresting and prosecuting these criminals, the punishment they eventually receive is almost meaningless. A judge may sentence someone to five years’ imprisonment with an option of a ₦100,000 fine, or even six months’ imprisonment. That makes a mockery of the entire process.”

Also supporting the proposal, Assistant Commandant General (Operations) of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, David Idowu, said a special court would ensure offenders and their collaborators receive punishments that match the severity of their crimes.

Idowu said, “If there is a special court to try these offenders, including the shadow actors behind these crimes, they will receive appropriate punishment.”