It hit the media space like a bomb and spiraled very fast into a trending discourse. Are security personnel, especially, the military supposed to fight off economic sabotage such as illegal bunkering of oil and gas facilities or be complicit in the crime? Are security operatives supposed to be partners with surveillance contractors in the fight against illegalities in the oil and gas sector or otherwise? What is the statutory role of Nigeria’s security agencies in enforcing the nation’s energy security governance?
These and many more questions quickly assumed a life of their own when a group, the Indigenous Surveillance Contractors raised the alarm on Thursday, October 5, 2023 that one of them, Graham Pepple, was part of those responsible for arresting a vessel involved on-site and actively loading illegally refined products via a line illegally connected to a thermomechanical pulp (TMP) line at Ogbonga area of Bonny Island.
In this interview with the Business Editor of Kristina Reports, Emmanuel Nwafor, Graham Pepple shed more light on what transpired in the early hours of Thursday, October 5, 2023 at Ogbonga close to Fuakpa Fishing Settlement, the security operatives who frustrated the attempt to bring the incidented vessel to justice, other measures already taken to address the situation, and the call to the military high command to beam its searchlight on the issue. Enjoy the read!
Kristina Reports: Please can we have you introduce yourself?
Graham Pepple: My name of Graham Pepple. I am a contractor to SPDC and the MD of Hample and Pegram Nigeria Ltd with registration number: RC 1058839; my line of coverage is Ogbonga down to Oloma…
Like Ogbonga, Orupiri, Oloma axis?
Yes, yes.
When you say you’re a contractor to SPDC, is it that you’re a pipeline surveillance contractor?
Yes, yes.
So, what’s this story of you accusing the military, specifically, the Navy of being involved in illegal bunkering?
Yes, thank you. For some years I have running this pipeline surveillance job covering in Bonny there, more especially, Ogbonga down to Oloma, protecting the pipeline right of way. For all this period if you go back to the records there has not been any incident there before because we ensure it is properly monitored.
But recently, we noticed there is an IC that was installed, that is a bunkering line, an illegal line that is tapped on the TMP. A 24 inch and 28 inch TNP line. That tapping cannot be done by an individual, it is an expert that did that. Now, we started tracing where it came from. In the course of tracing it, we noticed that they were loading it with vessels. There were loading vessels from there, and when we call for rescue from the OPDS, we will never get a response. You can confirm from Shell and also the DSS. We will also call for response, the security men will not come out because they are loading vessels.
When you say the OPDS, do you mean Operation Delta Safe?
Yes, Operation Delta Safe. They will not come out. Now, we started mounting surveillance on the vessel itself to capture the vessel. We have not been able to do that for some time. But yesterday as at 2am, we now noticed that they were loading. Based on my intelligence, we now liaised with other sister security bodies and they were able to hold the vessel. But the Navy came and cleared the vessel with a paper, a document they brought and took the vessel to deep water, the Fairway Buoy and dropped the vessel there. What is their interest in the vessel? Why were they guarding the vessel when it was loading? It was in the night and the vessel was loading on that illegally tapped line.
Were you able to ascertain where the Navy guys came from, whether FOB Bonny or NNS Pathfinder?
Yes, it was FOB Bonny, that is where they came from.
Which particular location did this incident happen?
You know Ogbonga very well?
Yes.
Ogbonga stretches all the way to Oloma, Fuakpa side. You will notice that there is one jetty that is bad long time ago; that is where this line was brought out and they were loading from that area. And in that axis, you will agree with me that we have Navy houseboat at Amanyanabo’s backyard, we have army at the beach, we have navy at Oloma flow station and we have the vessel that was seized, there was army on top of it. So, why all these people be around there and all these illegality is still going?
Has this been reported to Shell?
Yes, it has been reported.
Does the line that was tapped belong to Shell?
Yes, it belongs to Shell, and the matter has been reported officially to Shell.
But the Navy says you were arrested for defamation…
I think it is a pity that the Nigerian Navy Bonny does not have a good defence to the matter. I raised against them. It is a pity that they will allege that I have been arrested for blackmailing or defaming people. It is a big, big pity. I brought out an issue of national interest that they should tell me where the vessel is. I have never been arrested. Whosoever says they arrested me should come and prove that they were the ones that arrested me for defaming them.
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