<p>State-backed capitalist extractivism and its friction with the cultural and economic traditions of coastal communities have led public conversations since the discovery of oil in Nigeria. The complex ocean and maritime business in Nigeria involve activism by oil-producing communities for ecosystems protection and preservation, the economic interests of oil companies engaged in offshore exploration and extraction of fossil fuel, and the state actors involved in revenue generation. The discourses of the ongoing tension between state-supported oil development and community activism partly speak to the political economy of oceans, but they have neglected important conversations on marine ecosystems and coastal communities. In this article, we examine the complexities of the political economy of oil and oceans in Nigeria through Widener’s (2018) and Lerner’s (2012) lenses on sacrifice zones in offshore oil exploration and extraction. A textual analysis of selected key news media articles on burning of oil vessels in the Niger Delta show how deterring theft, national economic sabotage and civic obligation are used as justifications to legitimize planned toxic explosions. The concept of maritime sacrifice zones also illustrates how state-led, capitalist extractivism that manages coastal communities for corporate and national economic interests is positioned against long-term environmental concerns that envision ocean ecosystems as the basis for cultural and environmental preservation and economic survival for coastal communities. The conclusion explores the implications of the political economy of oil and oceans in the Niger Delta for life on land and underwater, and for a maritime sociology in Nigeria.</p>