An oil theft syndicate has been intercepted by Nigeria security operatives in the Oporoza area of Delta State.
Recall that in June, former militant leader Asari Dokubo had alleged that 99 per cent of the oil theft in the Niger Delta region is done by the Nigerian Army and Navy.
He refuted claims that people from the oil-rich region were those involved in oil theft and pipelines vandalism.
The former agitator alleged that the people perpetuating oil bunkering in the Niger Delta region are powerful cabals most times operating from Abuja with an entitlement mentality.
He argued that ordinary Niger Delta citizens who are often blamed for these criminal activities are not responsible as they do not have the wherewithal to perform the stealing, saying there are ‘notorious’ Army and Naval oil kingpins that have engaged in an unprecedented crude oil theft in the last eight years.
He said the way the oil thieves have gone about their criminal activities has stripped the people of the Niger Delta of their livelihood, noting that it is a crime against humanity.
According to him, “The president is a fatherly figure to me. Our relationship spans over 30 years. I came here today to give words of encouragement to the President for the actions and policies so far made in this less than three weeks of governing a very difficult country like Nigeria.
“We discussed a wide range of issues, especially on security and oil theft in the Niger Delta. Myself and my brothers have assured the President that there would be zero oil theft and vandalization in the Niger Delta. We’re going to work with an NNPCL and the IOCs to make sure that oil theft is brought to zero.
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“I also want to say that oil theft is encouraged by the military. The military is at the centre of oil theft and we have to make this very clear to the Nigerian public. 99 per cent of oil theft can be traced to the Nigerian military, the army and the navy especially.
“The Army and the Navy intimidate the Civil Defence, who are by status, the people who are supposed to guard these pipelines.
They receive a lot of money from NNPCL and the IOCs and just across the corner, you will see a houseboat, a few meters from the houseboat, you will see an oil bunkering refinery or tapping directly from oil well.
“It is very pathetic now. What is happening in the Niger Delta in the past eight years was unprecedented in the history of oil production anywhere in the world. The vandals do not only attack the pipelines, they have migrated from the pipeline and have gone directly to the oil well heads and they take directly from the oil well heads. They set up haphazard facilities they call local refineries, artisanal refineries; this is crime against humanity because the livelihood of the people is being totally destroyed. “The livelihood of the people is totally destroyed and at every meter, you see a naval houseboat or an army house boat stationed.
So the main culprits are the Army and the Navy and there are notorious naval commanders who are known to be kingpins of these bunkering activities. Even if they give one billion contracts to everybody in the Niger Delta, because these military men are armed from the Army and the Navy nothing will happen.
However, the Nigerian Army and Navy denied Dokubo’s claim as oil theft continues to occur in the region.
Details later…