Speaking on behalf of other 18 Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Presidents, the President-General of the body, Pereotubo Oweilaemi, who doubles as Ijaw Youth Council (Worldwide) President and Capt
Youth groups in the Niger Delta region of South-South Nigeria, have called for the immediate probe and sack of Commander of Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), Rear Admiral Apochi Suleiman for allegedly giving cover to oil barons and foreigners in carrying out the stealing of the nation's crude oil with "fake voucher from the NNPC.
Addressing a press conference weekend in Warri, Delta state, coalition of youth leaders from the Niger Delta under the auspices of Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Council, disclosed that the JTF has failed in its mandate to rid the region of illegal oil bunkering, lamenting that the illicit trade started at the time of oil boom in the 70s, but the trend became worsen following the involvement of security agencies working in connivance with some cabal.
The Leaders drawn from various ethnic nationalities in the region, Ijaw, Etsako, Yoruba, Ogoni, Efik, Yala, Benin, Owan and Qua, Anioma, Ibibio, Esan, Oron, Isoko, Bekwarra, Edo, AfighIwaadEket and Urhobo, alleged that under the watch of the JTF Commander, Niger Delta environment is being bastardized daily by illegal bunkerers who are purportedly being protected by the soldiers with monetary rewards running into several millions of naira.
Speaking on behalf of other 18 Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Presidents, the President-General of the body, Pereotubo Oweilaemi, who doubles as Ijaw Youth Council (Worldwide) President and Capt. Bassey Hensaw, Secretary-General of the body, lamented that the Joint Military Task Force (JTF), code named: "Operation Delta Safe" created in 2003 to curb oil theft among other security issues in the Niger Delta, "now encourages illegal bunkering activities in the region".
They said all the JTF does is to go about blaming its adverse effects on the pauperised oil bearing communities, whereas they are the ones "aiding and abetting the major culprits".
"The economic sabotage being perpetrated by the JTF under the command of Rear Admiral Suleiman Apochi in the name of securing the nation's crude oil facilities has informed the Youths Presidents of the various ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta to jointly address this press conference.
"The said illegal bunkering activities are taking place in our terrains which have hitherto destroyed our biodiversity. Therefore, we are in a better position to tell the world who and who is actually involved in it. The JTF is collaborating with some powerful forces and foreigners to steal crude from the nation's oil asset.
"There are high level illegal bunkering activities in the region being carried out by some powerful forces in the Country in collaboration with foreigners. Oil tankers are coming to the region with "fake voucher from the NNPC to load crude oil with the gleeful eyes of the JTF. The lost in crude oil outputs daily to the illegal bunkering activities are as a result of these foreign invaders" they youth leaders alleged.
Continuing the youth leaders revealed that "Everyday the JTF has been accusing the local communities of oil theft but to our chagrin, it has not spoken about the high level illegal bunkering activities of these economic saboteurs in the high sea which the military is aware of.
"We make bold to say that the military Joint Task Force is part of the cabals that are sabotaging our economy. If the security forces are not offering protection/escort services to those allegedly responsible for oil thefts then why movements of vessels with those stolen crude have not been detected?
"Why is it that vessel movements of the oil thieves occurs unnoticed in the region despite heightened activities in large scale illegal bunkering in the midst of an increased security presence?"
They mentioned some flash spots where these illegal activities were taking place in the Niger Delta to include, Rivers State, the coastal fringes at Bonny and Bille which are being identified as illegal bunkering spots where the crude oil trunk lines are being punctured by these saboteurs to pilfer away the black gold.
"Also in Nembe in Bayelsa State and other coastal communities across the region are being flooded with the illegal bunkering activities with an identified trunk lines that have been pigeonholed by the oil thieves to siphon the oil. It is disheartening that foreigners can enter the nation's coast without entry permit to carryout illegal activities yet the security agencies keep aloof to these day time robbery". the youth body noted.