The Senate committee investigating a controversial pipeline surveillance contract valued at over N2.5 trillion adjourned its sitting to next week after key government officials requested time to compile documents and brief the panel.

Present at the hearing were the Minister of Petroleum Resources and the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). The minister asked the committee for a two-week postponement, explaining that the officials had only received the committee’s invitation the previous day and required additional time to gather and verify records.

Committee chairman Senator Jarigbe resisted the minister’s request, granting only one week for document submission. “Nigerians are very interested in this issue,” the senator said, making clear the panel’s desire for expedited action. The committee’s tighter timeline reflects mounting public scrutiny over the contract’s scale and the recipients listed.

Central to the probe are payments reportedly disbursed to just three individuals under the pipeline surveillance arrangement: high-profile Niger Delta figures identified as Tompolo, Matthew Tola, and Olu of Warri/Osahon Okunbo. Lawmakers and civil society critics have raised questions about the contract’s necessity, procurement process, transparency, and the unusually large sums involved.

The committee’s mandate includes examining the contractual framework, the scope of surveillance services provided, the justification for engaging individual security contractors rather than institutional security outfits, and whether the disbursements conform to procurement laws and fiscal accountability standards.

Voices from the Niger Delta, as reflected in public and social media commentary, framed the arrangement as symptomatic of broader governance and security gaps. Some residents argue that localized arrangements are necessary to protect communities and infrastructure in the face of persistent pipeline vandalism and insecurity. Others counter that channeling enormous public funds to a handful of individuals without clear oversight risks corruption and undermines long-term institutional solutions.

The adjournment gives the NNPCL and the Petroleum Ministry a week to produce contracts, payment records, procurement approvals, and any memos or correspondence justifying the engagement and payments. The committee has indicated it will reconvene to scrutinize the submitted documents, hear testimony, and possibly summon additional witnesses if discrepancies or gaps are found.

As the deadline approaches, stakeholders expect intensified scrutiny from opposition lawmakers, watchdog groups, and the media. The outcome of the probe could prompt calls for policy reforms in how security for critical oil infrastructure is contracted and supervised, as well as potential legal or administrative follow-ups depending on what the committee uncovers.

The committee’s swift schedule underscores growing public demand for accountability over the use of petroleum revenues and the mechanisms employed to secure the nation’s critical oil assets. The hearing will resume next week.