In the last few years Nigeria, and particularly its oil-rich Niger Delta region, have sprung up in the ranking of the International Maritime Bureau reports on the piracy world's most dangerous hot spots for maritime and coastal trading. No longer merely directed at assaulting and hijacking vessels, the different criminal groups have gradually shifted from kidnapping oil workers to sabotaging oil company infrastructures. The crude oil industry has been blamed, together with government, for not sharing a fair percentage of the wealth with the local population. This adds a political aspect to the insurgence, transforming it into a political struggle for the control of the Delta's resources. In this paper the origins of this phenomenon are examined, as well as all the actors involved. Finally, some possible solutions and strategies are suggested.