The Nigerian Army has reacted to the recent allegations made by former Niger Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo, regarding the involvement of certain military officials in oil theft in the region.
The media reports that Dokubo voiced these claims during a visit to President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Friday.
Reacting, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations, emphasised that the Nigerian Army has been actively combating illegal oil bunkering, oil theft, illegal oil refining, and other related crimes in the Niger Delta with notable success.
Nwachukwu highlighted the positive outcomes resulting from these interventions, including a significant increase in daily oil production. This achievement stands in contrast to the previously declining output.
The Army’s spokesperson asserted that the Nigerian Army maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of compromise by its troops and will not tolerate acts of economic sabotage.
He assured that any individuals involved in such activities, once identified, will face appropriate consequences within the military.
“The Nigerian Army has been vigorously engaged in the fight against illegal oil bunkering, oil theft, illegal oil refining, and other sundry crimes in the Niger Delta. And this has yielded positive results as evident in the increase in daily oil production per barrel from an abysmally dwindling output in the past. The Nigerian Army has zero tolerance for any compromise on the part of our troops and will not condone such acts of economic sabotage. No black sheep will be spared if identified,” stated Nwachukwu.