The council disclosed this on Monday by the Secretary of its Directorate of Petroleum and Solid Minerals and National Coordinator on the fight against oil theft and illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalism and adulteration of petroleum products, Nixon Udoka Ahanonu.
Addressing newsmen in Delta State, during a surveillance patrol of the Taskforce Committee to gather information on the illegal activities by perpetrators of economic sabotage in the oil and gas sector, Ahanonu said no amount of intimidation could deter his committee from exposing the activities of the people involved in the criminal activity.
“No amount of intimidation can stop Nigerian youths from this fight against oil theft and illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalism and adulteration of petroleum products. We have received several threats and attacks from the perpetrators of this heinous economic sabotage in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria, since we commenced surveillance patrol.
“The threats are coming from different quarters, even from the places we least expected, trying to intimidate me and my undaunted team from exposing those involved in these despicable acts and their modus-operandi.
“I’m calling on all the security agencies; the Chief of Army Staff, the Inspector General of Police, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Director General of the Department of State Security and the office of the National Security Adviser to collaborate with the National Youth Council of Nigeria in this fight against the enemies of our dear nation in the oil and gas sector.
“It is important that all the aforementioned security agencies should come out in full force to collaborate with NYCN so as to clearly show Nigerian youths that they are not accomplices to this heinous economic sabotage and crime against our beloved nation.
“From the investigations done so far, accusing fingers are pointing at some security agencies as those who aid and abet oil theft and bunkering in the country.
“My Directorate, the Directorate of Petroleum and Solid Minerals of the NYCN has severally written to all the security agencies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited regarding some of our findings but there has not been any response on their readiness to fight this organised crime. Suffice to say that their refusal to collaborate with the National Youth Council of Nigeria on this fight is not only suspicious but has a lot to say.
“Be that as it may, we are determined to fight this battle till the end. Nigeria must get better. We must sanitise the oil and gas sector and thus restore the economy of our beloved nation,” Ahanonu stated.
