Former Niger Delta Militant leader Oweizede Ekpemupulo popularly known as Tompolo. He has accused top military and police officers of engaging in oil theft. He said that no one could steal even a drop of oil without the connivance of security personnel.
Tompolo made the declaration in a recent interview on Channels Television. He said that the security agencies are not innocent of illegal bunkering in the Niger Delta region as he revealed that there are several bunkering camps owned by the Navy, Army, Civil Defense, and Police. This, he maintained was partly why illegal bunkering had continued to thrive unabated.
BRANDPOWER recalls that the federal government of Nigeria in September awarded a N48 billion-a-year contract to protect pipelines bearing petroleum products to the former Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpemupolo (a.k.a. Tompolo)
Explaining the further, Tompolo said, ”At the security level, we have top security men that are deeply involved in the oil theft in the Niger Delta, they are trying to bring down this country called Nigeria. So we are ready and we are still appealing to everybody that we need to do everything within our power to stop the crude oil theft.”
Tompolo further revealed that “In the process of interacting with our people, they are saying that with what they are doing in some areas. They have some illegal bunkering camps owned by some Navy Army, Civil defense, and Police. It is only the assets that are not mentioned yet and we have the evidence. So I’m even using this medium appealing to the security agency especially the good ones to talk to their people that are being deployed to this side.”
Tompolo also accused some major oil companies of encouraging and, indulging in, oil theft in order to avoid paying taxes and maximize their profits.
Tompolo, however, vowed that he along with his colleagues will work hard to ensure that they stop oil theft because they are the landlords of the oil wells and it is thus their resources that it being stolen and their land devastated through illegal bunkering activities.
