Chairman of Emohua local government area of Rivers State, Dr Chidi Lloyd, has accused international oil companies and security agencies of aiding oil theft and illegal oil bunkering activities in the local government area.
He described the alleged collaboration between the officials of the oil companies and security operatives as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the fight against illegal oil bunkering activities in the area.
Lloyd spoke yesterday when he visited the scene of an explosion occasioned by illegal oil bunkering activities at the Ovelle-Nvakaohia area of Rumuekpe community in Emohua local government area.
He said: “It’s unfortunate that IOCs and security personnel are also involved in this. If they were not involved, tell me how those who scoop this product manage to transport them out of here, considering the number of security checkpoints around here.
“There is an army formation very close to the scene of this fire outbreak. Would they say that they don’t know that criminals are scooping petroleum products here?
“These days, security personnel lobby to be posted to places like this so that they collaborate with the perpetrators, everybody wants to be posted here to come and collect money.
“If officials of the oil companies are not involved, how do the criminals know when there is pressure in the pipeline?
“You can see that there’s a very strong cabal who are benefiting from this; not these ones roasting in the fire here. Top officials of the oil companies release information on when there’s pressure in the pipe.”
The Emohua local government chairman who commiserated with the families of the victims of the fire outbreak, urged relevant organs of the Rumuekpe community to activate the necessary machineries in the community to establish the number of the victims who are indigenes of the community.
He frowned at the resurgence of illegal oil bunkering activities in parts of the local government area after a resultful advocacy and enforcement exercise carried out in the area by his administration in line with the directive of Governor Nyesom Wike who has been at the forefront in the fight against oil theft and illegal oil bunkering in Nigeria.
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