Rear Admiral Mustapha Hassan, Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy, has emphasized the imperative for the international community to collectively reject stolen crude oil, urging concerted action against illicit oil activities.

In an interview on Channels Television’s breakfast show, Sunrise Daily, on Tuesday, Rear Admiral Hassan said, “We should push for stolen crude not to be accepted by foreign (state) actors.”

One of his primary call was for the deactivation of approximately 1,000 abandoned oil wells by International Oil Companies (IOCs) in the Niger Delta area.

He stressed the necessity for regulatory bodies to compel these companies to deactivate oil wells post-operations to mitigate environmental hazards and prevent illegal activities.

Furthermore, Rear Admiral Hassan highlighted the importance of expediting judicial processes in cases involving arrested oil thieves. He urged the judiciary to streamline judgments to ensure swift and effective prosecution of offenders, thereby deterring future criminal activities.

The naval official said that stolen crude oil from Nigeria often finds its way out of the country for refining elsewhere, implicating foreign actors in the illicit trade.

“This shows the involvement of foreigners in Nigeria’s oil theft. So, there’s a need for the international community to start rejecting stolen oil,” he said.

He emphasized the need for petroleum regulatory organizations to collaborate with international partners to combat oil theft and ensure accountability across the oil supply chain.