Illegal bunkering of crude oil and petroleum products in the Niger Delta will not end until state governments and the people of that region takes issues of security more seriously so says the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ishaya Ibrahim.
Giving the warning last week in Asaba, Delta state during a courtesy call on the Governor, Dr Emmnauel Uduaghan, the CNS only when the governments and people partner and see security of states in the region as a serious issue will the menace stop.
Arguing that criminality is becoming a constant factor in the region, he said “militancy in the Niger Delta may go, but criminality will not go because, the saboteurs and those who want to grow faster than their legs would continue to introduce more sophisticated dimension to achieve their aims.”
The naval chief disclosed that he was in the state to lead top naval personnel in the assessment of security situation in the state added that recent arrest made by his officers “is a pointer that we still have more struggle ahead to attain the desired security of the area and ensure safety of our dear ones”, adding that, “the dimension is such that we cannot fold our hands.”
Harping on the need for the state governors to cooperate with the navy, Ishaya said “criminals go where they will get what they want, thieves go to where there is something to steal, so it will be so difficult to put a stop to the criminal activates in our waters, because the dimension and sophistication will keep in increasing and the involvement of illegal oil bunkering who sell the content to pirates, adding that the Navy will do everything possible to contain the situation”.
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