\u2026Communities demand probe of military units involved in crude theft<\/p>\n
Notwithstanding the posturing of the government to stem the mounting tide
\nof oil theft in the Niger Delta region, the illicit but money spinning
\ntrade has continued to thrive with the involvement of the Joint Military
\nTask Force and Nigerian Navy, Pointblanknews.com can authoritatively
\nreveal.<\/p>\n
Indications have emerged that security operatives under the aegis of the
\nJoint Task Force (JTF), posted to the creeks to police the pipelines are
\naiding and abetting the criminal arrangement.<\/p>\n
Findings have shown that despite the fact that a military house boat and
\ngunboat are stationed at every 5 kilometer radius in the waterways, in
\nbetween this radius are illegal bunkering camps.<\/p>\n
Apart from the JTF, the Nigerian Navy has the primary duty to provide
\nadequate security on the waterways but from findings, the reverse is the
\ncase as some of the Navy outposts are few nautical miles from the illegal
\nbunkering camps.<\/p>\n
For instance, even with the Forward Operations Base of the Navy at
\nEscravos, yet the axis has remained the busiest areas in illegal bunkering
\nactivities, including Southern Ijaw, Nun River in Bayelsa, Ogoniland,
\nOkirika in Rivers, Ibeno in Akwa Ibom, among others.<\/p>\n
Sources confided in our reporter that the JTF charges between N250,000.00
\nto N500,000.00 to allow free access to Cotonou-bound boats laden with
\ncrude oil and other refined products depending on the size of the boat.
\nThe wooden boat could hold up to 33,000 litres and above of crude or
\nrefined production especially diesel.<\/p>\n
According to the source, one of the major reasons why the Niger Delta
\nregion has been militarized is because of the juicy profits top military
\nbrass and the JTF personnel in the creeks are making from illegal oil
\ntransaction.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2019The JTF should be held responsible for illegal bunkering activities and
\ndestruction of our environment by the JTF. Do you know within every four
\nto five kilometers\u2019 radius are military personnel securing the pipelines?
\nAnd within this compass are illegal bunkering camps. And this illegal
\nbusiness is done under their nose because of what they get; they give
\nprotection to these boys to carry on with their dubious activities. This
\nis appalling\u2019\u2019, our source said.<\/p>\n
A repentant illegal bunker, who simply identified himself as Peretomode,
\nalso accused the JTF of creating unnecessary tension apparently so that
\nthey could continue to benefit from illegal bunkering and called on
\nBuhari\u2019s administration to extend the anti-corruption war to the task
\nforce with a view to probing their activities in the region.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2019I can say without fear or favour that the JTF personnel in the region,
\nhave been compromised by the illegal bunkerers and their barons, which
\nexplains why they are always scrambling to be posted to the region by
\ntheir godfathers in Abuja\u2019\u2019, he said.<\/p>\n
Spokesman of JTF, Colonel Isa Ado , could not be reached for comment on
\nthe allegations leveled against the JTF.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a Niger Delta environmental activist, Comrade Sheriff Mulade,
\nhas denounced the illegal bunkering activities in the region.<\/p>\n
According to him, these activities have destroyed the entire ecosystem and
\nfurther brought hardship on the people as their traditional occupations of
\nfarming and fishing have been eroded.<\/p>\n
He called on the federal government to come to the aid of the people to
\ngive them a sense of belonging by extending the clean up to the entire
\nNiger Delta region so as to restore the region to its pristine nature.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2026Communities demand probe of military units involved in crude theft Notwithstanding the posturing of the government to stem the mounting tide of oil theft in the Niger Delta region, the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n