From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has alleged military complicity in the crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
The IYC allegation is coming on the heels of a similar allegation made by the National President of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Festus Osifo.
The military through the Director Defence Information (DDI), Major general Jimmy Akpor had pushed back on the allegations by PENGASSAN declaring that it is unfounded.
IYC in a world press conference addressed by its spokesman, Mr Ebilade Erekefe at the Ijaw House In Yenagoa over the weekend he alleged that corrupt military personnel involved in crude oil theft to cover their tracks have resorted to invasion of Ijaw communities in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers state under the guise of searching for “unrepentant militants and oil thieves.”
He identified Tuoma, Biliie, Okogbe, Udouda communities in Degema and Ahoada Local Government Areas as recent victims of the genocide being carried out by the military in Niger Delta region.
“IYC investigation revealed that most of the repeated military invasion has shown a criminal aspect of armed campaign against the Ijaw nation and the conflict of interests in the proceeds accrued from illegal activities of crude oil theft in the region.
“Let me reiterate that the IYC is ready to support and encourage any sincere action against economic sabotage and the remediation of the environment which has been degraded.
“It is a fact that the top military officers and their boys are involved in the crude oil theft and illegal bunkering activities which go on in the Niger Delta region.
“In some cases, the Nigerian Military authorities’ gets intelligence reports from sister agencies on the complicit involvement of its personnel in cases of illegal oil bunkering and crude oil theft in the region but they keep mute.
“Some own and protect illegal bunkering sites along the waterways and rivers. When their interest or investment is breached by some restive youths, they label communities close to the site as allegedly harbouring gunmen and invade such communities. It has happened in Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa State.
“We challenge the EFCC to investigate the bank accounts of Military Generals posted to the Niger delta, including their properties; it will shock the nation of monumental discoveries.”
It maintained that the Niger Delta is peaceful and called on the Federal Government to immediately withdraw all its military troops, submarines, gunboats and weaponry deployed to the region and relocate them to the northern part of the country where it is needed the most to curtail the level of insecurity.
Erekefe while reiterating the support of the IYC for the award of pipeline surveillance contract to Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo, urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and the surveillance contractors to fashion a way to involve governors, traditional rulers and youth leaders to ensure a concerted effort to curb oil theft.