The Ijaw National Congress (IYC), has alleged that the Nigerian Navy and members of the Joint Task Force (JTF) are part of stealing of crude oil that goes on in the Niger Delta region.
President of IYC worldwide, Pereotubo Oweilaemi Esq, during a press briefing on Saturday with members of the Warri Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at the secretariat in Warri, Delta State, said it was unfortunate that the security agencies usually pointed accusing fingers on ordinary Niger Deltans of being involved in oil theft.
The Ijaw youth leader made the allegation while responding to an accusation that the OPDS commander, Rear Admiral Suleiman’ Apochi, had blamed youths, communities and other stakeholders for conniving with criminals to perpetuate illegal oil bunkering, illegal refineries and oil theft, which he said was prolonging the fight against the menace.
This is coming 24 hours after a coalition of Niger Delta Civil Society activists and the Niger Delta Environmental Protection group in a protest in Abuja requested the sack of commander of the JTF codenamed Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), Rear Admiral Apochi Sulaiman.
The group accused Rear Admiral Sulaiman of aiding and abetting the worsening case of economic sabotage, oil bunkering, vandalism of oil facilities as well as stealing of crude oil which they have been heavily paid to exterminate in the region.
