ABUJA, Nigeria, March 3 (UPI) -- Nigerian defense officials pledged to deploy forces to protect oil and gas pipelines in the country because vandals are creating an economic nightmare.
Nigerian Air Marshal Paul Dike told authorities with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. he would "stop at nothing" to protect Nigerian oil assets, Nigeria's Next newspaper reports.
NNPC officials said pipeline sabotage cost the country $1.1 billion from repairs and loss in productivity during the last 10 years.
NNPC estimates there were more than 16,000 disruptions on its national oil pipelines since 2000. More than 97 percent of those breaks were attributed to sabotage. Dike said there were three acts of oil pipeline sabotage in the 24 hours before he spoke to the company officials.
Militant activity in 2009 removed more than 1.3 million barrels of oil per day from the market.
Mismanagement, political turmoil and a looming threat from militants in the Niger Delta drag on Nigeria's efforts to exploit its vast oil reserves.
Police officials said they have a national obligation to protect Nigeria's oil interests for its people.
