NUPENG/NSCDC Face-Off: Audi Orders Rivers Commandant To Step Aside

In a swift reaction to the altercation between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Rivers State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Rivers State, the Commandant-general of the Corps, Dr. Abubakar Ahmed Audi, has ordered the replacement of the
the State commandant, Michael Besong-Ogar.

The CG has also ordered immediate investigation into the matter.

LEADERSHIP gathered from a top source at the Corps Headquartersthe in Abuja that the NSCDC boss, who was saddened by the development, has deployed a high-powered delegation from the national headquarters to engage with the Rivers State executives of NUPENG and other stakeholders to address the matter.

Our correspondent reliably gathered that a replacement for the removed commandant, Besong-Ogar, would be announced shortly to pave way for thorough investigation.

The dispute, which culminated into a traffic jam along the Olu Obandanjo Way, GRA, Port Harcourt, reportedly arose from the arrest and forfeiture order obtained on three tankers, which led to the blockage of the said road, causing significant disruption to the flow of traffic for hours.

While NUPENG had alleged that the Rivers State Command of the Corps did not follow due process in handling the case of the three tankers impounded and handed over to the NSCDC in Rivers State by the Nigerian Army, 6 Division Garrison, Port Harcourt on November 4, 2022,
the State command of the NSCDC had in a swift response, condemned the act by NUPENG which according to them was borne out of the oil workers’ refusal to accept the forfeiture order on three tankers which they used to disrupt traffic on the road.

Meanwhile, a statement earlier issued by the director, Public Relations, NSCDC Headquarters in Abuja, Commandant Olusola Odumosu, called for calm and promised to resolve the situation amicably.

The statement reads in part, “The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Rivers State Command has vehemently condemned this act by NUPENG which was borne out of its refusal to accept the forfeiture of the 3 tankers.

“According to the state commandant, the Command obtained the forfeiture order from the Federal High Court 6, Port Harcourt Judicial Division on the 20th of December, 2022.”

The statement further disclosed that the Command did place an advert in a national daily and Newspaper Surveillance, volume 24, on Monday, January 23, 2023, to notify the general public on the court order and to give room for objections, if any, within a stipulated time.

“The Corps wishes to inform the public that due process was followed in handling the tankers and the petroleum products due to its flammable nature. Also, the trucks were neither illegally impounded nor defaced as alleged by NUPENG,” the statement said.

It added that a possible truce had been reached on the matter as both parties and other stakeholders remain supportive in the fight against oil bunkering activities.