Lack of stringent punishment for oil thieves is part of the factors responsible for the rising wave of criminal activities in the Niger Delta, Deputy Commander, Joint Military Task Force in the Niger Delta, Commodore Henry Ekpa, has said.
He said the light imprisonment of three years for oil criminals could not deter perpetrators, citing an example of a neighbouring country, Cameroon where oil theft is punishable by death.
Ekpa spoke in Yenagoa during the week at the security stakeholders’ forum organised by the JTF as part of the activities marking the 2014 Inter-Agency Security Week.
He said, “The huge financial gain in illegal bunkering is another factor responsible for the persistent oil theft in the Niger Delta.
“We have always advocated a special court to try offenders as part of the measures to fight the menace.
“I want to assure Nigerians that the waterways will be sanitised before the 2015 general elections. To this extent, there is the need for all the security agencies to work together to achieve better results. We have declared a zero tolerance for oil theft. We don’t need blood, dirty money and we cannot negotiate with oil thieves.”
In his remarks, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists in Bayelsa State, Mr. Tarinyo Akono, expressed concern over the rising security challenges such as sea piracy and kidnapping in the state.
Akono, therefore, said that if adequate measures were not taken to curb the menace, journalists in the state might be compelled to boycott the coverage of 2015 general elections.
He said travelling in the waterways of major parts of the state had become a source of worry to residents and marine transport operators due to the activities of sea pirates and kidnappers.
