The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned the Federal Government against weakening Nigeria’s constitutional security architecture in the name of pipeline protection and the fight against oil theft.
Media aide to the ex-VP, Paul Ibe gave the warning in a Monday post on Facebook.
According to him, disturbing questions are emerging about the growing involvement of private security outfits and groups associated with former militants in protecting critical national assets, at a time the country is battling terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
He queried the cost of pipeline surveillance contracts awarded to private operators, asking how much is being paid, who the beneficiaries are, what contractual safeguards exist, and who supervises their operations.
“Consider the figures. Nigeria allocated approximately ₦6.85 trillion to defence and security in 2025, while the 2026 budget proposed ₦5.41 trillion for the sector. Yet questions persist about the enormous sums associated with pipeline surveillance contracts.
“There are claims that pipeline surveillance expenditure exceeds the combined budgets of Nigeria’s military and security agencies. The government should publish the relevant contracts and payment records so Nigerians can establish the truth,” he said.
Ibe warned of the danger inherent in allowing privately organised security structures to acquire financial resources, influence and coercive capabilities without adequate democratic oversight.
“Are we inadvertently creating powerful security organisations outside the conventional military command structure? Could such organisations eventually be deployed for political purposes, particularly as the 2027 elections approach?” he asked.
He likened the situation to Somalia’s experience, noting that the East African nation’s descent into state collapse in 1991 was accompanied by fragmentation of state authority and rise of competing clan militias.
Ibe said, “Nigeria is not Somalia. But the lesson is unmistakable: when armed groups become powerful enough to challenge the authority of legitimate state institutions, national stability can be endangered.
“Pipeline protection is necessary. So is the fight against crude oil theft. But these legitimate objectives must never become excuses for weakening the constitutional security architecture or empowering unaccountable armed organisations.”
Ibe called on President Bola Tinubu to disclose how much has been committed to private pipeline surveillance, who controls the operations and what prevents any privately funded security network from becoming an instrument of political intimidation.
His comments come amid renewed controversy over pipeline surveillance contracts in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
Former militant leader, Asari Dokubo, had in a viral video alleged that pipeline surveillance arrangements linked to the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, and businessman Osahon Okunbo of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) are worth N2.7 trillion annually, while defending the contract held by Tantita Security Services Limited linked to Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.
Dokubo presented no contracts or payment records, and initially described the figure as monthly before correcting it to annually.
The claim has been dismissed by the Olu of Warri’s office. His representative to NNPCL, Prince Collins Edema, described it as false and challenged Dokubo to produce evidence.
A coalition of civil society groups (CCSOGG) has also asked the Federal Government and NNPCL to publish details of pipeline surveillance contracts, including payment schedules and scope of work, to end speculation.
The group said available information puts PINL’s contract at about N150 billion, not N2.7 trillion.
Tantita’s contract, awarded by NNPCL in 2022, has been publicly reported at about N48 billion annually, though unverified figures of over N2 trillion have also circulated in public debate.