Clark Accuses Military Officers Of Illegal Bunkering In Niger Delta

Chief Edwin Clark, an elder statesman and a delegate representing the Federal Government at the ongoing National Conference on Tuesday in Abuja, made a mouth opening accusation against the Nigerian Army in the Niger- Delta.

Clark, who was a First Republic Federal Commissioner for Information said that retired and serving military officers engaged in illegal oil bunkering in the region.

Clark made the allegation at the plenary of the Confab while buttressing the report of the Committee on Public Finance and Revenue chaired by the former Governor of Nasarawa State, Adamu Aliero.

The elder statesman, however, opined that youths in the area should be engage in protecting oil pipelines as well as a constant changing of soldiers in the region in order to reduce crude oil theft.

The federal delegate said that he revealed his findings to the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo, who ordered the former Minister of Defence, Theophilus Danjuma, to probe military involvement in the economic sabotage.

“The military officers who are in Niger-Delta have a hand in stealing this oil. I made this point to President Olusegun Obasanjo and he asked Danjuma who was there as a Minister of Defence to look through and he went and found out that it was true“ Clark said. “So, some of these military officers either retired or serving officers, what I will suggest is that the troops in the Niger-Delta should be changed from time to time. In doing so, you will find that the stealing of oil will be reduced.”

The Ijaw leader, while supporting the total removal of oil subsidy pointed out that it would be difficult to confirm the amount of crude oil being lost to illegal bunkering as against what’s being put on papers.

“In 1972, as a Commissioner for Finance in the old Mid-West, I travelled with President Shehu Shagari who was the then Federal Commissioner of Finance to Forcados Island where our crude oil was being exported. We discovered that the government officials, who were there, were more interested in what they could get than protecting the interest of Nigeria. That is, you hardly knew how much oil was being taking away from our shores. It was published in the newspapers; till today, I do believe that if you go to Forcados terminal, the same story will be told” Clark said,

The former minister insisted that youths in the area only steal small quantity of oil, describing it as “bucket bunkering” because they don’t have the technological expertise needed for big operation.

“But the real thieves are those who came from abroad; we are talking about oil theft, I have always said that our young men at home do bucket bunkering. They have no facility, they also lack the technology, but those who steal this oil are people who come from abroad. Have we forgotten the case where three admirals were fully involved? They were court-martialled” he added.



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