Aliko Dangote, Founder and CEO of the Dangote Group, has raised serious concerns over sabotage and organised criminal activity in Nigeria’s downstream oil sector, describing cartels operating in the industry as a bigger threat than drug mafias.
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, Dangote recounted multiple incidents of sabotage at his refinery in Lekki and other public facilities.
He cited cases such as the theft of spare parts from a 400-ton boiler, the largest ever constructed at the refinery.
“Drug mafias are actually smaller than the people who operate in oil and gas. They have robbed so many people in this sector,” he said, highlighting the sophistication of criminal networks targeting the industry.
Dangote further stressed that pipeline infrastructure across the country has been systematically sabotaged.
From Kano to other states, depots have been deliberately targeted, resulting in extensive operational disruptions.
“You are talking about sabotage, not natural wear and tear. The depots we built, all 22 of them, were fully piped, yet they’ve been destroyed. This is not an earthquake, it is deliberate sabotage,” Dangote explained.
$82 Million in Losses
The Dangote Refinery, commissioned in May 2023, has reportedly lost about $82 million worth of items to theft and sabotage.
Dangote said that the persistent sabotage had also increased insurance costs, as insurers were forced to adjust premiums in response to repeated claims.
To protect the facility, the refinery employs over 2,000 security personnel more than the number of operational staff.
Dangote described the lengths to which saboteurs go, including attempts to smuggle equipment out of the refinery.
“People come with long cables strapped to their bodies trying to steal equipment, and this is what we are dealing with. The scale of organised theft here is alarming and represents a significant risk to national production and economic security,” he said.
In October 2025, Dangote Industries Limited Vice President Devakumar Edwin revealed that the refinery had faced 22 attempted sabotage incidents since operations began.
Some of these events coincided with the temporary strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) following the dismissal of about 800 workers, prompting speculation that union-related tensions may have played a role.
