By Radarr Africa
Nigeria recorded approximately 3.33 million barrels of crude oil theft in 2025, with nearly two-thirds of the reported losses occurring in the final quarter of the year, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The commission disclosed the figures in its 2025 annual report, which also showed a decline in its oil and gas revenue collections during the period.
According to the report, 2.19 million barrels of crude oil were lost to theft between October and December 2025. This represented about 65.8 per cent of the total reported losses for the year.
The fourth-quarter figure was almost five times the 440,434 barrels recorded in the third quarter, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing efforts to protect Nigeria’s oil infrastructure.
The commission recorded 896,471 barrels of crude theft in the first quarter. Its second-quarter report, however, showed a negative figure of 200,400 barrels, which it attributed to excess volumes identified during reconciliation.
The figures brought the reported crude theft volume for the year to approximately 3.33 million barrels.
The losses occurred despite substantial spending on energy security. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited reported that energy security costs increased to ₦8.67 trillion in 2025, compared with approximately ₦3.1 trillion in 2024.
Although the expenditure covers wider energy security interventions and cannot be attributed entirely to crude theft prevention, the figures raise questions about the effectiveness of existing measures to protect oil and gas infrastructure.
The NUPRC report also showed that crude oil and gas revenue collections declined to ₦10.42 trillion in 2025 from ₦12.56 trillion in the previous year, representing a decrease of 17.03 per cent.
Oil and gas royalties, including Project Gazelle and NNPC receivables, remained the largest revenue contributor, generating ₦8.97 trillion compared with ₦11.08 trillion in 2024.
The commission generated 63 per cent of its projected revenue target of ₦16.54 trillion during the year.
Some revenue categories recorded increases. Receipts from gas flare penalties rose by 56.27 per cent to ₦611.42 billion, while signature bonuses increased by 44.2 per cent to ₦532.94 billion. Concession rentals also climbed by 61.1 per cent to ₦38.19 billion.
Beyond crude theft, the report documented 357 oil spill incidents in 2025, with sabotage accounting for 49.5 per cent of the cases.
Despite the reported losses, Nigeria produced 541.08 million barrels of crude oil and blended condensate during the year. Production was relatively steady across the four quarters, ranging from 132.70 million barrels in the first quarter to 137.69 million barrels in the second.
The report also identified opportunities to increase future output through approved field development plans. The commission said 48 of the 75 applications it processed in 2025 were approved, with the projects expected to unlock additional oil, condensate and gas reserves.
The figures underline the continuing challenge of translating Nigeria’s petroleum production potential into stronger government earnings. Crude theft, pipeline sabotage and oil spills remain concerns for the country’s efforts to improve production, attract investment and strengthen revenue from the energy sector.
