…As Navy Says Dokubo Is Seeking For Relevance From Tinubu
By Chris Udochukwu
The accusation of crude oil theft by Asari Dokubo against the military and Navy has unsettled some quarters within the military high command.
Precise Post recalls that the former Niger Delta militant and agitator, Asari Dokubo on Friday spilled beans on activities of the Nigeria Military and Navy, saying they are 99 per cent responsible for crude oil theft in the region.
Dokubo made the claims when he visited President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Friday.
Describing the allegation as spurious, the Nigerian Navy said for anybody to say that there is a cabal of military officers involved in oil theft, the only simple thing is to bring the evidence by bringing their names.
Hours after the accusation, the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, challenged Dokubo to name those involved in such an act.
He claimed that the Niger Delta leader is only trying to court the favour of President Tinubu with such allegations.
“If Asari Dokubo is seeking some form of relevance and alleges that there is a cabal of military people that are involved in crude oil theft, let him bring the names. Nobody is afraid of getting the names of those involved in crude oil theft,” the naval spokesman told Channels Television on the phone.
According to him, the Nigerian Navy has through its Operation Dakata da Barawo recorded tremendous successes in the fight against oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
He cited the recent arrest of a ship, Heroic Edun, that entered Nigeria illegally and the court fines imposed on the owners of the ship as evidence of the Nigerian Navy’s desire to combat crude oil theft.
The spokesman further listed other achievements of the Nigerian Navy – recorded between April 1, 2022, and June 12, 2023 – to include the arrest of 131 suspects, 17 vessels, destruction of 519 illegal mining sites, deactivation of 4,261 storage tanks with 569 wooden boats and demobilisation of 69 vehicles.
He noted that through the efforts of the Navy, oil thieves were denied over 116.9 million litres of crude oil, 45.1 million litres of refined diesel, and 2.4 million litres of kerosene as well as over 372,000 litres of premium motor spirit, all worth more than N71.8 billion based on the current prices.
“The Nigerian Navy is actively involved in the fight against crude oil theft and the resources in the Niger Delta. So, for anybody to say that there is a cabal of military officers, the only simple thing is to bring the evidence, bring the names. I rest my case,” Ayo-Vaughan maintained.
He said, it should be categorically clear to the general public that the bulk cases of oil theft and pipeline vandalism recorded in the oil-rich region are traceable to the Nigerian Army and Navy.
