FROM MILITANCY TO OIL THEFT: THE TRANSFORMATION OF RESOURCE CONFLICT AND ITS ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES IN NIGERIA'S NIGER DELTA, 2000-2025

This study examines the transformation of resource conflict in Nigeria’s Niger Delta from militancy to oil theft and its changing economic consequences between 2000 and 2025. It argues that resource conflict in the region evolved from predominantly militant resistance against perceived political, economic, and environmental marginalisation into increasingly complex forms of crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, illegal bunkering, and artisanal refining. The study investigates how this transformation affected crude oil production, government revenue, foreign investment, employment, local livelihoods, and broader economic development in Nigeria. The research adopts a historical research methodology, relying primarily on secondary sources, including scholarly books, journal articles, government publications, reports of relevant institutions, statistical publications, and credible documentary materials. Data are subjected to qualitative historical analysis, contextual interpretation, and chronological comparison to identify major changes in the character and economic implications of resource conflict during the study period. The study finds that while the 2009 Amnesty Programme contributed to a reduction in large-scale militant activities and temporary improvements in oil production, resource conflict did not disappear but assumed new forms, particularly oil theft and illegal refining. These developments generated significant consequences for petroleum production, public revenue, investment, environmental livelihoods, and economic development. The study concludes that addressing resource conflict requires stronger institutional governance, economic diversification, and sustainable development interventions in the Niger Delta.