Dangote Raises Alarm Over Widespread Sabotage Crippling Nigeria’s Oil Sector

Dangote Raises Alarm Over Widespread Sabotage Crippling Nigeria’s Oil Sector

Aliko Dangote, President and CEO of the Dangote Group, has sounded the alarm over what he described as deliberate and widespread sabotage crippling Nigeria’s downstream oil sector, including the Port Harcourt Refinery and the $20 billion Dangote Refinery.

Speaking during a media briefing on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at the Dangote Refinery in Lagos, Dangote revealed that the Port Harcourt Refinery experienced over 100 sabotage incidents during its rehabilitation, citing information shared by former NNPC Limited Group CEO Mele Kyari.

He alleged that critical pipeline infrastructure and petroleum depots across the country have been deliberately destroyed by unpatriotic individuals and organised interests, insisting the damage could not be attributed to natural causes.

“Even this $20 billion Dangote Refinery has not been spared. The oil and gas sector is controlled by powerful cartels whose reach surpasses that of criminal drug networks,” Dangote stated, citing instances of vandalism and theft of critical equipment, including a 400-tonne industrial boiler, described as the largest ever built.

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Dangote further questioned the collapse of Nigeria’s once-functional pipeline network, saying the extensive destruction points to deliberate sabotage rather than neglect. “All the pipelines that were built, right from the military base to date, none of them are functioning… they have destroyed the pipes. If it is not sabotage, is it an earthquake? No, it is sabotage,” he said.

He disclosed that the Dangote Refinery alone has lost about $82 million to theft and sabotage, prompting the company to deploy over 2,000 security personnel, more than the number of operational staff, to safeguard the facility. Dangote noted that thieves have grown increasingly brazen, attempting to remove materials using long cords and other methods.

The industrialist’s revelations underscore the significant challenges facing Nigeria’s refining, pipeline, and petroleum depot infrastructure, highlighting the urgent need for stronger security measures and government intervention to protect the nation’s oil assets.

Dangote Raises Alarm Over Widespread Sabotage Crippling Nigeria’s Oil Sector