NIGERIA SOLDIERS RESPONSIBLE FOR CRUDE OIL THEFT IN THE NIGER DELTA ... COMMUNITIES

Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) operational base at Forcados in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State have raised an alarm over the intimidating presence of military personnel in their areas, just as they expressed fears over the risk of arm building up to their existence and psychological minds.

The four communities which comprises of Agge, Ogulagha, Izon-Burutu and Agoro, have also indicted the men and officers of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Niger Delta, code-named Operation Restore Hope,” headed by Brig. Gen Wuyep Rimtip, over an alleged involvement in illegal bunkering activities in their communities, as soldiers were seen at midnights off-loading products from barges seized from bunkerers into vessels and moving out to unknown destinations.

Spokesman of the affected communities who addressed newsmen in Warri yesterday under the auspices of ‘’Concerned Indigenes Against Forcados Settlements Oppression,” Chief Zion Perebowei, said they can no longer continue fold their arms and allow the occupation of soldiers in their homeland in the name of maintaining law and order.

He stated that their worries was further compounded by the fact that their women and children now live in fear on daily basis, as they have to go to sleep seeing men in arms everywhere and woke up the next morning with the sight of soldiers who had taken over the strategic positions in their communities.

Chief Perebowei who demanded to know the rationale behind the continuous deployment of troops in to their communities by the military authorities, stated that the unprecedented arm build-up in their area has affected the psyche of their kinsmen who now feels insecure in their homes.

On the indictment of JTF Personnel in an alleged illegal bunkering activities, Chief Perebowei, noted that the military authorities have been double speaking in their claim to be putting an end to illegal bunkering activities, stating that on daily basis in the last two months, they have been off-loading products from barges seized from illegal bunkers to vessels and taking away to unknown destination.

According to him; “what the military authorities under JTF are making us to believe is not what it seems. They have painted a picture of fighting crimes and reducing illegal bunkering but from what we have seen lately they are involved in the illegal act themselves”

“Who are they deceiving and why are they pretending? Are they the one that should be evacuating the products from the seized barges to vessels? How come they carry out such illegal act at dead nights, where the two vessels that had left Forcados are channel being taking to up till now and who gave the directive for such an exercise to be carried out,” he queried.

Investigations gathered revealed that over 26 barges loaded with products trapped in one of the locations used as hideout by illegal bunkerers during the early days of Brig. Gen. Wuyep Rimtip in office as Commander of JTF had been under the watchful eyes of soldiers stationed at every strategic entry and exit locations in the area.

Entreaties by the perpetrators to have the barges released had met with brick wall, as the commander of JTF, had bluntly refused to release the barges to their owners.

But yesterday’s outburst by Chief Perebowei raises doubt as to weather the products are still in the seized barges or made its way in two vessels to the high sea where potential buyers have received the products to for onward transmission to the open market.