The ongoing negotiations to resolve the impasse between the National Association of Plant Operators (NAPO) and the management of Daewoo Engineering and Construction Nigeria Limited was almost truncated last night as heavily armed policemen stormed the venue of the meeting and attempted to arrest the President General of the NAPO, Harold Benstowe.

Sources at the venue of the incident told Kristina Reports that the police operatives, who came in about five Hilux vans and were led by the Officer-in-Charge of the State Intelligence and Investigation Bureau (SIIB), Bonny, Prince Dagogo Ogan, could not produce an arrest warrant when confronted by those in attendance.

Eyewitnesses said upon entering the venue of the meeting at Atlantic Sterling Hotel, Finima, Bonny, on Saturday, September 17, 2022 at about 7pm, Ogan demanded for Harold Benstowe, declaring that he had orders from the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Friday Eboka to arrest and bring him to Port Harcourt.

In attendance at the meeting were the Chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), NLNG Branch, Joseph Amali, NAPO President, Harold Benstowe, and other officials of both organizations.

Kristina Reports reliably learnt that the meeting was sequel to the intervention of the Managing Director of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), Dr Philip Mshelbila who reportedly reached out to PENGASSAN to engage both the management of Daewoo E & C and NAPO to reach a truce.

Efforts by Kristina Reports to hear from the Officer-in-Charge of the SIIB, Bonny, Prince Dagogo Ogan, were fruitless as at the time of this report as calls to his mobile line did not connect and an sms sent to his mobile line though delivered was yet to be acknowledged or replied.

Responding to an enquiry from Kristina Reports, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), disclaimed any operation sanctioned by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, in Bonny Island in relation to the ongoing industrial action.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Rivers State Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police (SP), was yet to respond to messages sent to her mobile line to confirm or disclaim the operation embarked upon by Prince Dagogo Ogan.

Narrating his ordeal in the hands of Ogan and his men, the NAPO President told Kristina Reports that “when they came into the hall, all of them armed to the teeth, Prince Dagogo Ogan demanded for Harold Benstowe, saying that the Commissioner of Police ordered him to bring the person”.

“The PENGASSAN Chairman and everybody else were surprised at the development. We demanded for an arrest warrant, which he (Ogan) could not produce.”

“I wanted to call my lawyer to inform him of what is happening, his men refused me, trying to drag my phone from me. I told them they are infringing on my rights but they insisted and stopped me from making the call.”

One of the stakeholders who witnessed the incident but prefers anonymity expressed concern over the incident, noting that such action, which he described as “thoughtless” could jeopardize the negotiation process and other efforts targeted at resolving the industrial action by the Daewoo workers.

“I think the IGP and CP Rivers State needs to call such overzealous policemen to order so that they don’t jeopardize ongoing efforts by different stakeholders to find quick resolution to the industrial crisis rocking Daewoo and the Train 7 project.”

“Thoughtless actions like this could render the whole process redundant as the protesting workers won’t find it funny to subject their leader to such embarrassment.”