PRIVATE OIL PIPELINE SURVEILLANCE, OIL THEFT AND CONFLICT IN THE NIGER DELTA

This study interrogated the relationship between privatized oil infrastructure protection, resource governance and socio-political stability in post-amnesty Nigeria. The paper is anchored on the Rentier State Theory and Frustration–Aggression (Relative Deprivation) Theory. It examined how private pipeline surveillance contracts (PSCs) shape patterns of oil theft, inequality and conflict across Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States. Adopting a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, the research collected data concurrently through 388 structured questionnaires (97% retrieval rate), documentary sources and key-informant interviews with surveillance personnel, community leaders and security officials. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, while qualitative evidence enriched contextual interpretation. The findings indicate that although private surveillance has produced observable improvements in infrastructural monitoring and localized reductions in oil theft, the statistical relationship is weak and not significant at the regional scale (r = 0.239, p = 0.699). In contrast the implementation process shows a strong and significant association with rising inequality and community conflict (r = 0.612, p < 0.01), largely driven by elite capture, exclusion and patronage dynamics. The study concluded that privatized surveillance consolidates Nigeria’s rentier patronage governance structure, securing oil assets while deepening social insecurity and recommends transparent, community-centered security frameworks, strengthened oversight mechanisms and equitable resource governance as more sustainable alternatives. The research advances empirical and theoretical debates on the political economy of oil security and post-conflict governance in Africa.