Nigeria Pays Warlords $40 Million a Year in Oil Protection Money

Keeping the pipelines free from attack

The administration of President Goodluck Jonathan doles out almost $40 million annually to four of Niger Delta's top former warlords as protection fee for oil pipelines they used to attack in the region, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.

According to the report tagged "Nigeria's Former Oil Bandits Now Collect Government Cash", the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pays the warlords a total of $39.5 million annually.