A group, the Indigenous Surveillance Contractors has raised the alarm over the activities of illegal bunkerers in some parts of Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.
A member of the group, Graham Pepple alleged that the men of the Nigerian Navy and the Joint Task Force, also known as Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) are fully involved in illegal oil refining in Bonny Island.
In an interview with Kristina Reports on Thursday, October 6, 2023, in Bonny, Pepple alleged that a team from the Nigerian Navy, at about 2am on Thursday, October 5, 2023 released a vessel that was arrested for loading illegally refined petroleum products.
He said the vessel was loading illegally refined products on a thermomechanical pulp (TMP) line at Ogbonga near Oloma in Bonny LGA with some personnel of the JTF on board the vessel, which was later released hurriedly by men of the Nigerian Navy and sailed away to the Fairway Buoy.
“We noticed there is an IC that was installed, that is a bunkering line, an illegal line that is tapped on the TMP. A 22 inch and 23 inch line.”
He also accused the security agencies of illegally installing an illegal loading point at the Ogbonga-Oloma TMP line to lift refined petroleum products from the area.
Pepple, who is the Managing Director of Hample and Pegram Nigeria Limited, called on the military high command to carry out a proper investigation to ascertain the whereabouts of the vessel and Cotonou boat used in loading the illegally refined products.
“The Army and the Navy high commands should come to the aid of the people; they should tell their personnel in Bonny to bring out that vessel that was arrested as at 2am this morning. So that the federal government will know that we are doing our best to eradicate illegal bunkering in the Niger Delta.”
The Nigerian Navy in a terse statement denied the claims, asserting that it has investigated Pepple’s claims and found them to be false, alleging that he has been arrested severally for defamation and raising false alarm.
A claim, Graham Pepple debunked, challenging anyone or agency that arrested him to come forward, stressing that the issue was of national interest and the relevant authorities should look into it.
Kristina Reports was unable to get the reaction of the Joint Task Force, South-SOuth, also known as Operation Delta Safe as at the time of this report.
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