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By Emmanuel Adeleke
Prominent Niger Delta leader and former agitator, Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo, has alleged that the bulk cases of oil theft recorded in the oil-rich region are traceable to the Nigerian Army and Navy.
Dokubo disclosed this after a private meeting with President Bola Tinubu, on Friday.
He said that the president has promised to investigate allegations of huge oil bunkering by notorious naval commanders that are kingpins, and promised to take decisive action to halt the shameful act.
Dokubo added that there are powerful cabals operating from Abuja, stressing that these powerful forces have now met their match and many people would soon be marching to Kuje.
“The military is at the centre of oil theft and we have to make this very clear to the Nigerian public that 99 per cent of oil theft can be traced to the Nigerian military, the Army and the Navy especially,” he said.
He, however, pledged to assist the Federal Government in bringing oil theft in the region to “zero,” adding that he believed the Tinubu administration would “fish out the culpable elements in the military.”
He said oil theft and security framed his nearly two-hour discussion with the president.
“Myself and my brothers have assured the president that there will be zero oil theft and vandalisation in the Niger Delta.
“We’re going to work with the NPPCL and IOCs to make sure that oil theft is brought to zero,” he said.
On security, he faulted the narrative that the military was underequipped to tackle terrorism, banditry and militancy head-on, describing it as “blackmail.”
“The blackmail of the Nigerian state by the Nigerian military is shameful. They said they do not have enough armament and people listen to these false narratives. So this blackmail must end. They have enough resources to fight,” he added.
He argued that the release of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, would not ease the tensions in the South East, rather it would fuel impunity.
“During #EndSARS, Nnamdi Kanu was walking free. 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.
“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,” Dokubo said .
Friday’s meeting is part of the president’s ongoing consultations with opinion leaders from the Niger Delta region.
Last week, the president met other key figures from the region, including former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Timi Alaibe, and former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr Dakuku Peterside.
During his first meeting with Security Chiefs on June 1, the president directed the military and other security agencies to crush oil theft.