By Energy Worth
Founder and President/Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has raised the alarm over what he described as widespread sabotage and the dominance of powerful cartels in Nigeria’s downstream oil sector.
Dangote, who spoke to journalists at a briefing in Lagos on Sunday, said his refinery and several public refineries had been subjected to repeated, organised acts of sabotage, warning that vested interests in the sector pose a threat greater than drug syndicates.
According to him, the refinery in Lekki has suffered losses estimated at about $82 million due to theft and vandalism, forcing the company to deploy more than 2,000 security personnel, a figure he said exceeds the number of operational staff at the facility.
“If I tell you the level of sabotage we have gone through, including issues with some machine manufacturers who were almost taken to court, you will understand what I mean,” Dangote said.
“Drug mafias are actually smaller than the people operating in oil and gas. They have robbed so many investors in this sector.”
He cited the removal of critical components, including spare parts from a 400-ton boiler, described as the largest of its kind ever built, as evidence of coordinated sabotage.
Dangote also lamented the deliberate destruction of Nigeria’s pipeline and depot infrastructure, insisting that the damage could not be attributed to natural causes.
“From Kano to several other states, depots and pipelines were not destroyed by accidents. They were sabotaged,” he said.
Recalling conversations with former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, Dangote alleged that the Port Harcourt refinery alone suffered over 100 sabotage incidents during repair works.
“How come pipelines built over decades, from military regimes to civilian governments, are no longer functional?” he asked.
“In Kano, products used to be transported entirely through pipelines to depots. Twenty-two depots were built and all were piped. Today, those pipes have been destroyed. If that is not sabotage, then what is it?”
Dangote further alleged that repeated theft was aimed at forcing the company to make massive insurance claims, which would ultimately drive up premiums.
“They were trying to push us into making continuous insurance claims, which would make our premiums keep rising. Yes, there is sabotage,” he said.
Describing the security challenges at the refinery, Dangote said some individuals attempted to smuggle materials out by concealing cables and equipment on their bodies.
“That is why we have more security personnel than workers. You should ask anyone who has built a modular refinery in Nigeria if they have not experienced theft,” he added.
He warned that the scale of sabotage and organised theft in the oil sector poses a serious risk to national production and economic security.
In October 2025, Vice President of Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, disclosed that the refinery had recorded 22 attempted physical sabotage incidents since the commencement of operations.
Some of the incidents were linked to a major internal reorganisation that led to the disengagement of about 800 workers, triggering a temporary strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
While the company maintained that the restructuring was necessary, critics alleged that some workers were unfairly targeted over union activities, a claim the refinery has previously denied.
