The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, says that specialised international and continental gangs take advantage of security gaps to steal the crude across Africa.

Ojulari stated this at the opening of the Africa Chief of Defence Staff Conference held in Abuja.

He said crude oil theft has continental and international dimensions and should be tackled holistically through collaboration and synergy among various military formations across Africa.

The NNPCL boss, however, declared that crude theft and pipeline vandalism, especially within the oil-rich Niger Delta area of Nigeria, have become old occurrences because of the efforts of security agencies.

Ojulari said as the head of the largest national oil company on the continent, he has seen the benefit of the collaboration within the energy space, with significant improvement in the operating environment”.