The Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Army on Saturday reacted to the allegation of the involvement of the military in oil theft in the oil rich Niger Delta region, describing it as spurious and unguarded.
The two arms of the military whom the former Niger Delta militant, Asari Dokubo, frontally accused of being responsible for 99 per cent of oil theft in the region challenged him to name the military officers involved.
In its reaction, Nigerian Navy stated that Dokubo’s allegations were the same he had dished out over the years.
It also challenged the ex-militant leader to intimate Nigerians on his level of involvement in oil theft, accusing him of seeking his own pipeline protection contract.
Spokesman of the Nigerian Navy, Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, said Dokubo had stayed on the same unfounded allegations over the years.
“This is the same song he has been singing for years. It’s not a new narrative from him. He should name names and also intimate Nigerians of his level of involvement.
“He is also looking for his own pipeline protection contract”, he said.
He said going by the efforts of the military in curbing oil theft in the region, Nigeria regained top spot amongst oil producing countries in Africa.
“OPEC, NUPRC and others confirmed just yesterday an increase in oil production in the month of May, only yesterday,” he said.
He said the allegation against the military was “spurious and unguarded.”
Ayo-Vaughan said oil thieves were angry because the land, maritime and air component of the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe as well as other operations in the South-south zone of the country sustained the efforts to deny oil thieves avenues to sabotage economy through ongoing “Operation Dakartada Barawo” and sustained a relatively safe and peaceful environment for business activities to strife in the region.
“If Asari Dokubo is seeking some form of relevance and he alleges that there are cabals of military personnel who are involved in crude oil theft, let him bring the names. Nobody is afraid of getting the names of those involved in crude oil theft. You cannot make such serious allegations and think that we just sweep it down the carpet, there will be an official response from Defence Headquarters on this matter. The Chief of Defence Staff does not condone that, nor those the Chief of Naval Staff under whom I serve.
“The Nigerian Navy as an organisation is actively involved in the fight against crude oil theft and the resources in the Niger Delta. So, for anybody to say there is a cabal of military officers, the only simple thing is bringing the evidence, bring the names”, he said.
He further noted that recently “during these operations, troops of Operation Delta Safe in the conduct of Operation Octopus Grip and other operations discovered and destroyed 57 illegal refining sites, a total of N82,445,150.00 only were denied the oil thieves and troops also arrested 16 suspected economic saboteurs.
“Let him bring the names. The Nigerian Navy is interested in the names of those involved because the Navy has no tolerance for any form of criminalities whatsoever, not even that height of theft as alleged by Asari Dokubo,” he said.
In its response, the Nigerian Army said it had vigorously engaged in the fight against illegal oil bunkering, oil theft, illegal oil refining and other sundry crimes in the region with positive results.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, said the Nigerian Army remained vigorously engaged in the fight against illegal oil bunkering, oil theft, illegal oil refining and other sundry crimes in the region with positive results.
He maintained that the intervention had produced positive results.
This, he said, was evident in the increase in daily oil production from an abysmally dwindling output in the past.
Nwachukwu said the Nigerian Army had zero tolerance for any compromise on the part of its troops and would not condone any act of economic sabotage.
He promised that the army would not spare any black sheep in its fold if identified.
“The Nigerian Army has been vigorously engaged in the fight against illegal oil bunkering, oil theft, illegal oil refining and other sundry crimes in the Niger Delta.
“And this has yielded positive results as evident in the increase in daily oil production per barrel from an abysmally dwindling output in the past.
“The Nigerian Army has zero tolerance for any compromise on the part of our troops and will not condone such acts of economic sabotage.
“No black sheep will be spared if identified,” he said
Adedayo Akinwale
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