The Northern People’s Forum has decried oil bunkering, describing it as an organised crime against Nigerians that needs to be checked.
The forum’s chairman, Saidu Bello, said this while addressing journalists during a protest by the group on Monday in Abuja. Mr Bello urged the federal government to sustain the engagement of Messrs Tantita Security Limited for pipeline surveillance.
Mr Bello said the forum at the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to protest the recent arrest of four of the personnel of the Tantita Security group by the Nigerian Navy.
The northern group’s leader said though the security guards were released, it would be counter-productive to arrest such operatives working with security agencies deployed to protect the nation’s oil facilities.
Mr Bello called on President Bola Tinubu to sustain the engagement of Tantita Security agency by the NNPCL to continue to work with Nigeria security agencies towards protecting the nation’s wealth from being siphoned by a few cartels working against the economic interest of the country.
The northern group said the engagement of Tantita Security had yielded positive results as illegal oil vessels and their operators had been arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution. He added that the NNPCL had also increased the number of its daily quota of barrels of crude oil produced per day to meet the OPEC-approved benchmark.
Peoplesmind
