A group, Arewa Intelligentia Caucus (AIC) wants President Bola Tinubu to probe the Nigerian Navy over rising cases of crude oil theft and other acts of economic sabotage across the waterways of the country.
The call by the group comes barely few days after another organisation, Odua Integrity Network (OIN) made a similar demand, due to what it referred to the unbridled criminal activities in the waterways.
The Arewa group predicated its all for the probe in a statement by the president, Abubakah Ciroma, and publicity secretary, Nasir Adamu, on the frustrations confronting private security firms given contracts on surveillance. The group recalled that the Federal Government contracted the surveillance and protection of oil pipelines in the Niger Delta region to private security companies due to alleged deficiency by Navy to arrest the worrisome situation. The country is believed to lose more than N400 billion of crude die to oil theft. Recently, Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas said the country lost about $46 billion (N16.25 trillion) to crude oil theft in 11 years.
Abbass spoke at the inauguration of an ad hoc committee to investigate crude oil theft, which according to him, has drastically hampered the growth of the country’s oil production, with Nigeria losing between 5 percent and 30 percent of daily production. The speaker, who cited data from the Nigeria Extractive Industries Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), said the country’s oil production declined from 2.51 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2005 to 1.77 million bpd in 2020. To further underscore the seriousness of the menace, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited recently disclosed that it recorded 149 incidences of crude oil theft across the Niger Delta in one week. However, the list of security companies contracted by the government to stem the tide includes Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSL), operated by Chief Government Ekpemupolo and Pipelines Infrastructures Limited ( PIL) managed by the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwase ÌII are placed under the supervision of a Project Management Office- the Inter – Atlas Synergy Limited ( IASL).
Reinforcing the call for the probe, the Arewa group noted that crude oil production has improved dramatically to over 1.7 million barrels per day, from below 700,000 barrels.
It claimed that the private security firms engaged to provide surveillance were not enjoying cooperation from the Navy, alleging instead that, “The Navy is busy mudslinging and fabricating stories to impugn their reputation.
“It has never given the security companies a breathing space, most especially Tantita.
“The Navy is either sabotaging their work to criminalise them, give them a bad name, or it is directly engaging in ontoward actions.
“On this note, we ask that an unassailable panel like the one headed by Jim Obazee on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is constituted to probe the Navy over the many allegations against it. There is no smoke without fire.” According to the Arewa organisation, the leadership of the navy should be asked to step aside to pay way for a thorough investigation.
“The Chief Naval of Staff, Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla should be relieved of his duty to prevent interference with the investigation,” it suggested.
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