Military Behind Major Oil Thefts In Nigeria – Assari Dokubo Alleges

A prominent Niger Delta leader and former agitator, Mujahid Asari Dokubo, has accused the Nigerian Army and Navy of executing the bulk cases of oil theft recorded in the oil-rich region of the country.

Dokubo said this in Abuja on Friday after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu.

The former agitator told State House correspondents that, “The military is at the centre of oil theft and 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”.

Dokubo, who said the Tinubu’s administration is ready to fish out corrupt officials in the military, pledged his support to the Federal Government to bring oil theft to “zero”.

Recall that in April, the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative revealed that Nigeria lost 619.7 million barrels of crude oil valued at N16.25tn to crude oil theft between 2009 and 2020.

The data gathered from the agency’s latest policy brief titled, “The cost of fuel subsidy: A case for policy review,” also stated that the country spent over N13tn ($74 billion) on fuel subsidies between 2005 and 2021.

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However, Dokubo, on Friday, said he and the President Tinubu spent almost w hours discussing the solution to oil theft and security during their meeting.

He said “Myself and my brothers have assured the President that there will be zero oil theft and vandalization in the Niger Delta.

“We’re going to walk with an NPPCL and the IOCs to make sure that oil tapped is brought to zero.”

On security, he faulted the narrative that the military was underequipped to take on terrorism, banditry and militancy head-on, describing it as “blackmail.”

For Dokubo, “The blackmail of the Nigerian state by the Nigerian military is shameful. They said they do not have enough armament and people listen to these false narratives. So this blackmail must end. They have enough resources to fight.”

He argued that the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, would not ease the tensions in the South-East. Rather, it would fuel impunity.

“During EndSars, Nnamdi Kanu was walking free. What did he do? He poured petrol on the flames of EndSars. Now, he has been caught. What of the people who have died? This is a criminal. He should face the law.

“Releasing Nnamdi Kanu is rewarding criminality and rewarding gruesome murder of innocent people. He should face the law for the actions and instigations he has carried out.”

Friday’s meeting is part of the President’s ongoing consultations with opinion leaders from the Niger Delta region.