The military protects international rogues during oil bunkering - Chief Edwin Clark

A former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, has explained why it is difficult to stop oil theft in the country.

He said the stealing was being perpetrated by those he described as international rogues with the support of the military.

The Ijaw leader submitted during the week in Lagos that the rogues often come from overseas to Nigeria with big vessels to steal oil.

“It is difficult to control them because some military personnel are involved in the stealing,” Clark said.

He, however, confirmed that Niger Delta youths also steal oil, but in small quantity.

According to the former minister, the oil stolen by Niger Delta youths is child’s play when compared with the one being stolen by the rogues.

Clark said, “I am not denying that Niger Delta youths are not doing illegal oil bunkering or oil theft. They steal with buckets, compared with the mighty ships that come from overseas.

“You have heard of Indians and Philippians being arrested, former generals of the army, particularly naval officers. I have made this statement long ago that they are part of it. It is not a matter of people from the South-South. Whatever the people of South-South are stealing, they steal with buckets. They don’t have big ships; they don’t have the technology to do the stealing that the ships are actually doing.

“So, what is going on is an international conspiracy to steal oil and members of the Joint Task Force are there. Not only are the soldiers there, the Naval officers are also there. It is true that the people have been accusing the youths of stealing illegally using some small boats. The real theft of oil is done at an international level.”

Asked how the oil theft could be tackled, Clark urged the Federal Government to change the military personnel deployed in manning the oil facilities every six months.

He said, “A situation whereby military personnel beg to be posted to Niger Delta should be discouraged; it is not helping matter.”

The Nigerian Navy recently told the Senate that the nation was losing as many as 100, 000 barrels of oil valued at N1.18bn to theft daily.

The cost of the theft amounts to N433.62bn annually.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin, represented by the Chief of Logistics, Rear Admiral Peter Agba, had made the disclosure during the organisation’s budget defence at the Senate.