NIGERIA: Under-development continues to fuel oil theft

ABUJA Monday, November 17, 2008 (IRIN) - Crude oil smuggling continues unabated in the Niger Delta in southern Nigeria, spurred by chronic under-development, a disaffected youth, and increasing lawlessness. Mohammed Umar, an Abuja-based oil industry analyst, estimates that at least 100,000 barrels of oil are stolen every day through the process known as bunkering, while Human Rights Watch says it could be as much as 300,000. As late as 14 November the Nigerian military arrested 22 people on a...