Oil Theft: Rights Group Drags Rivers Community Youth Leader To NSA

A rights group, Niger Delta Situation Room (NDSR), has written a petition to the National Security Adviser (NSA), General Babagana Monguno (rtd), accusing the President of Igbuduya Youth Assembly in Ahoada-West local government area of Rivers State, Ifeanyi Madu, of planning to unleash mayhem in Ekpeyeland as a cover-up for his alleged illegal oil bunkering activities. 

NDSR, in a petition addressed to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and signed by its Program Officer, Alvin Dogu, accused Madu of sponsoring incessant protests in the area.

The group stated that one of such sponsored protests took place on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, along the busy East-West Road, ostensibly to blackmail an oil company operating in the area, to suspend the operations of a surveillance team operating in the area.

The petition reads in part: “Igbuduya Youth Assembly blocked and shutdown the Okogbe axis of the East West Road, Ahoada West LGA of Rivers State in protest against a NAOC surveillance contractor.

“The Youths during the protest threatened to blow and shut down all AGIP oil installations in the area if AGIP does not listen to their demands to suspend the operations of pipeline surveillance team engaged by the oil company to safeguard it’s pipelines.

“The Igbuduya youths under the manipulation of Ifeanyi Madu, had embarked on similar protest last week and gave a one week ultimatum to NAOC to immediately withdraw a pipeline surveillance contractor engaged by the oil company.”

Reacting to the petition, which was copied to the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), the South-South zonal chairman of the CLO, Karl Chinedu Uchegbu, regretted that the exalted position of youth president and community leaders were steadily being infiltrated by criminal elements in the communities.

Uchegbu warned that the nexus between oil theft and community leadership structure portends a serious danger to peace and security in the communities.

He called on the security agencies to beam their searchlight on the area and to fish out those who are hiding under the cover of youth organisations to engage in criminal acts

It would be recalled that recently, the activities of oil bunkerers and cult groups led to the death of two persons and properties destroyed in Okogbe Community in Ahoada West local government area of the State.