Petitioners missed three invitations to substantiate allegations; panel says its report still awaits consideration by the full committee.
A House of Representatives subcommittee has recommended that allegations concerning Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) and its executive director, Dr Osahon Okunbo, be dismissed after the petitioning organization failed to present supporting evidence at a hearing.
The panel, established under the House Committee on Host Communities, examined a September 5, 2026 petition submitted by the Niger Delta Oil-Producing Communities Reform Movement (ND-OCRIM). The complaints questioned the execution of PINL’s pipeline surveillance contract, the handling of contract funds, expenditure attributed to Okunbo and the treatment of field personnel. The petition also sought a forensic examination of the company’s finances.
According to the subcommittee’s account, the petition arrived without documentary exhibits. ND-OCRIM was subsequently invited to attend proceedings on September 14, September 22 and October 5, but neither appeared nor provided an explanation. The hearings concluded on October 7 after PINL supplied a written response and geotagged photographs.
PINL’s submission described an extensive surveillance operation across 215 host communities, involving more than 35,600 community participants, 28 forward operating bases, 130 boats, 175 vehicles, 25 drones and support from 454 government security personnel. These figures are company claims presented to the panel, not independently audited findings.
The company also attributed a rise in the proportion of crude delivered through the Trans Niger Pipeline to Bonny Terminal, from three per cent in May 2022 to 98 per cent in September 2026, to improvements during its surveillance tenure. It reported repairs to 2,049 illegal connections, the destruction of 1,010 illegal refining clusters and the restart of OML 11 after a prolonged shutdown. PINL additionally cited scholarships, vocational programmes and flood assistance for host communities.
The panel said the submission addressed concerns about operational performance and community welfare. It expressly acknowledged, however, that PINL had not directly answered the allegations relating to contract funds and personal expenditure. On those questions, the recommendation to dismiss rested on the petitioners’ failure to supply evidence rather than a substantive financial audit.
Among 12 recommendations, the subcommittee proposed ending further investigation, recording the allegations as unproven, recognising pipeline security efforts and considering an extension of PINL’s contract. It also recommended commendations for relevant federal institutions and surveillance companies, including Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited.
The findings are not a final determination by the House. The October 7 report has been submitted for consideration and possible adoption by the parent committee, and the copy described in the source account carried blank signature lines. The distinction is important: the panel reported insufficient evidence before it, not an independently completed forensic exoneration.
