Nigerian oil pirates make a killing

On a ledge overlooking narrow mangrove creeks, knives bite into the throat of a sacrificial ram. The Egebesu Boys, one of the gangs that steal billions of dollars worth of crude oil from Nigeria every year, are preparing to make themselves bulletproof.

Yet the men will need more than blood and cloth charms to do so. The notorious Mobile Police, nicknamed 'Kill and Go', regularly assault their stronghold with helicopter gunships.

The Nigerian government estimates crude oil worth HK$78 million is stolen from the country every week. Even for Africa's largest oil exporter, this accounts for nearly one-sixth of all oil produced in the country.

'The gangs either bore directly into the pipelines or load trucks and barges from unsecured well-heads,' said Jossy Aiguwurto, one of Royal Dutch/Shell's security advisers. 'The stolen crude is then towed out to sea in barges, where tankers wait, loaded with cash and weapons.'

Legally produced oil is shipped to the United States, Europe and Asia, but stolen oil is usually destined for refineries along the West African coast.

'A lot of Russians are involved in [transporting crude] because when the old USSR collapsed, lots of ships were stolen or sold for a song,' said one tanker owner. 'The Nigerian navy often acts as 'protection'. It's more than just agreeing not to arrest a barge or tanker. They escort it, with radar on, to protect it from other freeloaders.'