90% of oil theft can be traced to military- Asari Dokubo
Asari Dokubo, Niger Delta activist, says that 90 per cent of oil theft is traceable to the Nigerian military and especially the Army and the Navy.
Dokubo said this in a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Friday and vowed to offer services to the country if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is truly disposed to bringing the menace of theft and attacks on facilities in the oil rich region to zero level.
Dokubo spoke with newsmen yesterday after he met with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Niger Delta activist, who threw his weight behind the President throughout the presidential campaign, said he was at the Presidential Villa to show solidarity to Tinubu and discuss other issues including security and the fight against oil theft.
He refuted claims that people from the region were those perpetrating oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the area, accusing the Navy and the Army of being behind the massive crime.
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Dokubo, who described military officers as oil king pings, pointed out that ordinary Niger Delta people who are often blamed for criminal activities in the area do not possess the wherewithal to carry out the crime.
According to him, there are notorious Army and Naval oil kingpins that have engaged in unprecedented crude oil theft in the last eight years.
He lamented that the way the oil thieves have continued to perpetrate the crime has deprived the people of the region of their livelihood, a development he noted, “is a crime against humanity.”
He added: “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. My brothers and myself have assured the President that there would be zero oil theft and vandalism in the Niger Delta. We are going to work with the NNPCL, PCN and the IOCs to make sure that oil theft is brought to zero.
“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, very clear to the Nigerian public. Ninety-nine per cent of oil theft can be traced to the Nigerian military, the Army and the Navy especially.
“It is very pathetic now. What happened in the Niger Delta in the past eight years was unprecedented in the history of oil production anywhere in the world.”
Asari Dokubo is not a pushed over in Nigeria as an activist especially on Niger Delta matters.