(L-R) Lt. Gen. T. A. Lagbaja, COAS, Gov. Siminalayi Fubara, Maj. Gen. Jamal Abdulsalam, & Brig. Gen Edet Effiong, during a visit to Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday
Rivers governor Siminalayi Fubara, on Friday said some personnel of the The Nigerian Army were yesterday told that some of their personnel were deeply involved in the ongoing incidence of oil theft in the Niger Delta.
Making this statement on Friday before the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, General Taoreed Lagbaja during a courtesy visit in Port Harcourt.
Governor Fubara told the visiting COAS that some army personnel were frustrating efforts of his administration to stop oil theft in the state because they are neck deep in the illegal business.
Fubara said the implicated army personnel are working in cahoot with an oil company to frustrate the ongoing road construction in Ogba/Egbema Ndoni Local Government Area by attacking the contractor to cover up illegal oil bunkering activities.G
Governor Fubara said all efforts to resolve the issue of frequent attacks on the troops on that particular contract by some compromised army personnel have been frustrated because of their vested interest in illegal business.
He noted that while his administration is doing everything possible to curb illegal bunkering activities, some officers of the Nigerian Army are possibly compromised in parts of Ahoada East and Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Areas of the State.
Governor Fubara said all efforts to resolve the issue of frequent attacks on the troops on that particular contract by some compromise army personnel have been frustrated because of their vested interest in illegal business.
Fubara said, “One special problem that we have here is the issue of illegal oil bunkering. In some parts of the State, in Ahoada East and Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni, most of the bunkering activities, we believe, are subsisting because there is this cooperation between the Army and top oil companies.
“I’m saying this because there is this road we are constructing somewhere in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni and each time the contractor approaches this particular company and pleads that they should allow them to go ahead with the job, the military will always come and attack our contractor.”
Governor Fubara explained how he had tried to resolve the problem without success because of the alleged vested interest that the officers have, and urged the Chief of Army Staff to call them to order.
