says Nnamdi Kanu is a criminal and should be jailed
Ex militant now Niger Delta activist, Asari Dokubo has accused the Nigerian army and navy of crude oil theft and oil pipeline vandalism in the Nigeria Delta region of Nigeria.
Dokubo said he is ready to offer the country his service to ensure the menace of oil bunkering and sabotage of pipeline facilities becomes a thing of the past.
He spoke to the press after a meeting with the president of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Aso Rock presidential villa, on the issue which has caused the Niger-Delta region environmental catastrophe and huge revenue loss to the country.
The Niger Delta activist is a diehard supporter of the president of Nigeria and had vigorously campaigned for him during the presidential election.
Dokubo denied the allegation against the people of the Niger Delta as being responsible for the oil theft and sabotage of oil facilities in the region but blame the increasing criminality solely on the Navy and the Army.
He said the heavy manpower and security platform required to carry out oil theft in the Niger Delta is beyond the capacity of any civilian, no matter how highly placed, but only the military can cary out and sustained such criminal task – under their own watch.
He further said amongst the military are oil theft barons whose activities and preoccupation in the last eight years have been oil bunkering and vandalisation of oil facilities.
Dokubo accused those perpetrating the criminal act in the region as being heartless – depriving the people living in the area access to clean water , farm land and halting their right to live well like normal human beings, an act that in itself “ a crime against humanity”.
According to him: “The president is a fatherly figure to me. Our relationship spans over 30 years. I came here today to give words of encouragement to the President for the actions and policies so far made in this less than three weeks of governing a very difficult country like Nigeria.
“We discussed a wide range of issues, especially on security and oil theft in the Niger Delta. My brothers and myself have assured the President that there would be zero oil theft and vandalisation in the Niger Delta. We are going to work with the NNPCL, PCN and the IOCs to make sure that oil theft is brought to zero.
“I also want to say that oil theft is encouraged by the military. The military is at the centre of oil theft and we have to make this very, very clear to the Nigerian public. Ninety-nine per cent of oil theft can be traced to the Nigerian military, the Army and the Navy especially.
“It is very pathetic now. What happened in the Niger Delta in the past eight years was unprecedented in the history of oil production anywhere in the world.”
Dokubo also faulted calls for the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, arguing that his release would fuel impunity akin to the #EndSARS crisis.
He said Kanu should be prosecuted.
“Releasing Nnamdi Kanu is rewarding criminality and rewarding gruesome murder of innocent people. He should face the law for the actions and instigations he has carried out.”
“What did he do? He poured petrol on the flames of #EndSARS. Now, he has been caught. What of the people who have died? This is a criminal. He should face the law.”
