The Nigerian Navy Friday night reacted to the allegation made by Niger Delta leader and ex-agitator, Asari Dokubo who allegedly spoke with some journalists after meeting President Bola Tinubu behind closed-doors at the Aso Rock Villa and claimed that cases of oil theft in the South South region were traceable to the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Navy.
Dokubo insisted that the military is at the centre of oil theft saying 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.
Responding to the allegation Friday night, Nigerian Navy spokesman, Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan challenged the ex-militant to reveal the names of officers involved in crude oil theft noting, the allegation against the military is “spurious and unguarded”.
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Commodore Ayo-Vaughan said oil thieves were angry because the land, maritime and air component of the Joint Task Force Operation Delta Safe as well as other operations in the South – South zone of the country have sustained the efforts to deny oil thieves avenues to sabotage economy through ongoing “Operation Dakatar Da Barawo” and sustained a relatively safe and peaceful environment for business activities to strive in the region.
“If Asari Dokubo is seeking some form of relevance and he alleges that there are cabals of military personnel who are involved in crude oil theft, let him bring the names.
“The Nigerian Navy as an organisation is actively involved in the fight against crude oil theft and the stealing of msritime resources in the Niger Delta. So, for anybody to say there is a cabal of military officers, the only simple thing is Bring The Evidence, Bring The Names.”, he stressed.
“Let him bring the names. The Nigerian Navy is interested in the names of those involved because the Navy has no tolerance for any form of criminalities whatsoever, not even that height of theft as alleged by Asari Dokubo.
Recall that recently the Niherian Navy foiled an attempt by oil thieves to load a super crude oil thanker MT Heroic Idun woth the profuct unaithorized.
The Navy arrested the dhip sfter it escaped and ducceeded in collecting fines of $15million for the federal government after a Federsl High Court Port Harcourt passef judgement indicting the ship and its crew.
Sources disclosed to Securityking News that the professionalism and determination deployed by the Nigerian Navy in aresting MT Heroic Idun and several other unrelenting offensives against oil theft has the economic saboteurs in disarray and shock.
