The Group Managing Director of the National Nigerian Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, met Chief of Defence Staff,General Gabriel Olonishakin on Tuesday to discuss a proposal for soldiers to provide security for the corporation’s equipment and assets.
Olonishakin assured him of military support, Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, said.
The Nigerian navy already conducts patrols to fight vandalism but Adesina said Kachikwu also wants to secure the use of more boats and air force involvement.
The oil-rich Niger delta has been plagued by crude theft for years that has left the region heavily polluted and prompted foreign oil companies, particularly Shell, to sell onshore assets.
Under Buhari’s predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, ex-delta militants who had attacked oil installations in the early 2000s were given pipeline protection contracts after an amnesty but theft has continued to grow.
