President Bola Tinubu's delegation, which was sent to the Niger Delta to assess the situation with oil theft, discovered an unauthorized oil connection on Saturday.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) claimed in a statement that the illegal connection found in Owaza, Abia State, costs the nation an average of $7.2 million per month.

According to NNPCL, illegal refineries have caused significant economic losses for the country, in addition to the environmental destruction the team witnessed.

Service chiefs and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, are included in the delegation, which is headed by Malam Muhammed Badaru, the Minister of Defense.

Other members include Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Mr. Ekperipe Ekpo, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas).

Rear Admiral Olusegun Ferreira, the commander of "Operation Delta Safe," as well as representatives from security services and the heads of regulatory organizations for the oil and gas industry, are also members of the team.

The team visited the Trans-Niger Pipeline’s right of way in Owaza, Abia, where an array of dismantled illegal connections were observed.

“We are ready to do whatever it takes for a peaceful Niger Delta,” Badaru stated, urging the perpetrators to “cease and desist from crude oil theft and economic sabotage.”