President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Thursday, constituted a 13-member Adhoc Committee to investigate oil theft in Nigeria and its impact on petroleum production and oil revenues.
The composition of the panel was announced on the floor at the plenary, Dr. Ezrel Tabiowo, Special Assistant (Press) to the Senate President said in a statement on Thursday.
Lawan named Senator Bassey Albert Akpan as Chairman of the committee.
Members on the panel include Senators Yusuf A. Yusuf, Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, Kabiru Gaya, Mohammed Adamu Aliero, George Thompson Sekibo and Gabriel Suswam.
Others are Senators Kashim Shettima, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Ali Ndume, Stella Oduah, Sani Musa and Ibrahim Gobir.
The ad-hoc committee was given one month to conclude work on investigations and report back to the chamber in plenary.
The Nigerian government in March raised the alarm over the rising rate of crude oil theft in the Niger Delta, disclosing that about $3.27 billion worth of oil had been lost to vandalism and theft in the past 14 months.
The government described high-level cases of oil theft as a threat to the country’s corporate and economic existence, with the industry now thinking of transporting crude oil from fields to export terminals by trucks.
