A group, Delta Communities Security Watch (DCSW) has indicted officers and men of the Nigerian Police Force on Pipeline Vandalization, attached to Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) Warri office, over alleged complicity in the ongoing illegal bunkering activities being perpetrated in the area.
Making the allegation in a statement made available to newsmen in Asaba at the weekend, the group claimed that the reason why illegal bunkering activities had continued to boom in Warri and its environs, especially in the riverine settlements was due to the alleged ‘aiding and abetting’ role played by the officers attached to this unit.
The body which disclosed that they were in Asaba to submit their petition to the Delta state police commissioner, Ari Muhammed Ali, on their findings on the synergy that had existed between the officers and the perpetrators of these illegal activities, called for a quick intervention to nip this criminal romance in the bud.
According to the statement signed by Comrade Derrick Edafe and Barrister Fred Akubueze, chairman and secretary respectively, the body said they cannot continue to fold their arms and allow such criminal act of sabotage against the nation and her people to continue unchecked.
“The investigations we carried out in some major locations including: Ifie, Ubeji, Jeddo, Igbokoda, Ugwangue, Waterside and Maroko, revealed that the cartel that specialise in crude oil theft and illegal bunkering settled the officers on a daily basis through their agents who front for them”.
“We have decided to take the first step by petitioning the police commisioner of our findings and having the hope that something drastic would be done to checkmate this ugly development in the nation’s oil and gas sector that currently serves as the main stay of the economy”.
“Our desire to ensure that we expose this criminal act compelled us to come to Asaba as we have discovered that we can not get anything reasonable response reporting the case to the commander in the Warri area office”.
“We were taking aback when we discovered that those who are supposed to be fighting this crime in these locations across the various communities are the ones involved in it with the use of their civilian agents they have engaged as informants to know the amount accrue to the office.”
“We have decided to take up this matter as a way of stopping the pollution and environmental degradation caused in these communities that had become a serious health challenge to the people in the area and also put an end to the act of sabotage against the nation.
