The House of Representatives have resolved to probe the circumstances and reasons for the recent destruction of an illegal oil bunkering vessel in the Niger Delta by security operatives.
It stated that the vessel should have been maintained as evidence in the case’s prosecution.
The resolution followed the consideration of a motion in plenary under matters of urgent public interest made by Onofiok Luke of Akwa Ibom State.
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Luke stated in his motion titled “Urgent Need to Investigate the Circumstances of the Setting Ablaze of Oil Vessels Allegedly Involved in Oil Theft by Security Operatives,” that oil theft has been a problem in the Niger Delta for a long time and has caused major environmental deterioration in the region.
According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, the unfavorable trend has also had a detrimental influence on Nigeria’s revenue generation, forcing the country to lose 470, 000 barrels per day, totaling to $700 million monthly.
“There have been several new reports that high-powered technology is applied in the stealing of crude oil (particularly at Forcados line) and transported through a four-kilometre pipeline to a platform in the sea with as much as 200 barrels of crude oil reported to have been stolen every day from the location since 2014.
“The responsiveness of the private security firm (Tantita Security Services) in curbing oil theft led to apprehending an illegal oil bunkering vessel and handing same to the security agency.”
”The House is disturbed by the reported destruction of the said vessel by security operatives instead of preserving same as evidence for prosecution purposes,” he said.
