President and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has the raised alarm over what he described as widespread and deliberate sabotage crippling Nigeria’s downstream oil sector.
He revealed that the Port Harcourt Refinery reportedly suffered more than 100 sabotage incidents during its rehabilitation.
Dangote made the disclosure during a media briefing on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at the Dangote Refinery in Lagos, where he spoke extensively on the challenges confronting refining, pipeline infrastructure and petroleum depots across the country. He said the revelations were shared with him by former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari.
“You are talking about sabotage, and I’m happy that you are also here in Nigeria. I don’t know if Mele Kyari (former NNPCL GCEO) is still in town, but I think you should go to his house in Maitama and ask him how many sabotages the Port Harcourt refinery repairs went through.
“He told me many times that they have had more than 100 sabotages at the refinery. You can ask him, and he will tell you.”
He alleged that critical pipeline infrastructure and petroleum depots nationwide had been deliberately destroyed by unpatriotic individuals and organised interests, insisting that the damage could not be attributed to natural causes.
Dangote lamented that even the $20 billion Dangote Refinery has not been spared, describing the oil and gas sector as being controlled by powerful cartels whose reach surpasses that of criminal drug networks.
“If I tell you the sabotages that we went through, including some of the machine manufacturers that were on the verge of going to court, you will know what I’m saying.
“And that’s why I told you that drug mafias are actually smaller than the people who are in oil and gas, because most of the people in drugs you know yourselves but in the oil sector, they have roped so many people in.”
Dangote cited specific examples of sabotage, including the vandalization of critical equipment during operations. He recalled an incident involving a massive industrial boiler, describing it as unprecedented.
“You know we have a boiler, 400 tonnes is the largest boiler ever built it the world, it was under operations and somebody went and removed the spare parts out of it,” he said.
Questioning the collapse of Nigeria’s once-functional pipeline network, Dangote said the scale of destruction pointed clearly to deliberate sabotage rather than neglect or natural degradation.
“How come now, for example, all the pipelines that were built, right from the military base to date, none of them are functioning?” he asked.
“The one that we have, which is from where I am from, Kano, that depot, we were not using trucks. The depots were only going to the trucks to load. Everything was piped up to that. 22 depots were built. They are all piped, all 22 depots.”
According to him, the destruction is so extensive that even pipeline sediments are gone.
“Actually, even the sediments don’t have it anymore. They have destroyed the pipes, all of them. So, if it is not sabotage, is that an earthquake? It’s not an earthquake now, because it’s sabotage. Sabotage is sabotage. So, that is what it is.”
Dangote disclosed that his refinery alone has lost about $82 million to theft and sabotage, forcing the company to deploy extreme security measures. He revealed that over 2,000 security personnel are currently engaged at the facility—more than the number of operational staff.
“In this refinery, we have lost maybe $82 million of stolen items. They were actually trying to make us put massive claims on insurance. Continuously, our insurance premiums will just keep going up. Yes, there is sabotage,” he said.
He added that theft methods are becoming increasingly brazen.
“People will come here with long pieces of cord cables and put [them] on their bodies to try and see how they can take it out. And we answer, ‘Okay, fine, what are you doing with it?’ It’s just sabotage.”
Credit: The Sun