The Ijaw National Congress Publicity Secretary, Mr. Victor Burubo, described it as “unintelligent” and lacking in facts a report that Ijaw people displaced from pipeline security jobs were involved in kidnapping and armed robbery in Lagos
He said, “It is not true; Ijaw people have nothing to do with the kidnappings and armed robbery incidents in Lagos. It is unacceptable to say that Ijaw militants are invading Lagos and getting involved in kidnapping and armed robbery.
“I don’t know the source of such intelligence and it is obvious that the so-called intelligence is unintelligent. Those that came out with the intelligence report should come up with facts and stop accusing the Ijaw people wrongly.”
Also, the National Secretary General of Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Mr. Bristol-Alagbariya Emmanuel, said Ijaw and Ilaje youths should not be blamed for crimes in Lagos.
“Lately, you know that everything that is bad is attributed to Ijaw people and Jonathan (former President Goodluck Jonathan).
“Ijaw people are peace- loving; linking them to armed robbery and kidnapping in Lagos because of President Buhari’s cancellation of pipeline protection contract is shocking and condemnable.”
Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has said that the Nigerian Air Force has expressed willingness to build unmanned aerial vehicle, otherwise called drones, to ensure adequate surveillance of petroleum products’ pipelines across the country.
When asked to explain how the pipelines across the country were being protected, a senior official of the NNPC told our correspondent that the corporation had entered into partnerships with both the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force in order to safeguard the facilities.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, referred our correspondent to the corporation’s latest Energy in Brief report for February 2016, where the NNPC stated that the Nigerian Air Force had indicated its interest to partner with the national oil firm to enhance pipeline security across the country through the deployment of drones.
In the report, the NNPC said the NAF had made a presentation on its prototype drone surveillance aircraft to the management of the oil firm.
It said the Nigerian Air Force, during the presentation, had explained that the aircraft was built on home-based technology that addresses the peculiarity of the Nigerian terrain.
According to the report, which was obtained by our correspondent in Abuja, the NAF urged the NNPC to partner with it to support the manufacturing of the aircraft on need basis.
The report said, “The craft code named Gulma, is the first indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle built by the Nigerian Air Force. It has the capacity to fly for 12 hours of surveillance operations with crew and state of the art radio and video communication.”
The NNPC further noted that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of the corporation, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, who was represented by the Group Executive Director, Commercial and Investment, Dr. Babatunde Adeniran, during the presentation by the NAF team, expressed confidence in the ability of the Nigerian Air Force to support the national oil firm in curbing the menace of pipeline vandalism across the country.
