Petrol, rice barter by smugglers causing fuel scarcity in Akwa-Ibom

A barter agreement between Nigerian and Cameroonian smugglers of rice and stolen petroleum products has been identified as the cause of the perennial fuel scarcity in Ibaka area of Akwa Ibom State.

This was disclosed by the Joint Task Force, South-South, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), Maritime Component Commander, Commodore Adedokun Siyanbade.

Sinyabade who said this while addressing the visiting journalists at the headquarters of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS), Soroh, in Yenagoa, also explained that perpetrators of oil theft in Ibaka, exchange stolen petroleum products with rice smuggled from Cameroon.

“If you go to Ibaka in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, there are lots of petrol stations but they are perennially out of stock,” he said.

According to him, the oil thieves in the area, exchanged the products with smuggled rice from Cameroon while the Cameroonian smugglers received petroleum products in exchange for their rice.

He expressed worries that the barter system was very rampant in the area and responsible for the constant scarcity of petroleum products.

On whether the military is making efforts to re-channel the recovered stolen products to domestic use, the Commander said that the military had engaged the International Oil Companies (IOCs) and Modular Refinery Operators in the region to make it possible.

He quoted the IOC as saying that the stolen products could not be remedied in their facilities as it would be cheaper to work on crude than cleaning up the poorly refined petroleum products from the oil thieves.

While noting that discussion is still ongoing with the Modular Refinery Owners, the Commander said that it did not make any economic sense to transport the recovered products to the refining sites for purification for domestic use.

He explained that it was cheaper to burn the recovered oil, as the security and transportation of the products to the Modular Refineries would be capital intensive.

On how the JTF frustrated the activities of pirates and sea robbers, Commodore Siyanbade said: “During the period in focus, the JTF conducted several clearance operations aimed at ridding the JOA of militants and sea pirates/sea robbers taking refuge within the camps.”
“During the period, about 14 such camps were destroyed as a result of the sustained tempo of clearance operations on sea robbers/pirates and other criminals’ camps within the JOA. Currently, the number of sea robbery and piracy cases in Nigerian waters as well as the Gulf of Guinea are at lowest and zero level respectively.”

He, however, assured that the Force would continue to maintain the tempo of clearance operations of all criminals’ camps to sustain current gains.

He said that the JTF OPDS employs non-kinetic approaches to address some issues and challenges.

The major non-kinetic effort of the OPDS, he said, is the Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) mediation efforts to resolve mostly Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) related disputes between host communities and Oil and Gas Companies.

“So far in 2024, the JF has amicably resolved about 23 CSR-related disputes involving oil companies such as; CHEVRON, SEEPCO, SPDC, AITEO, NECONDE and NAOC among others, with their host communities. These CSRs significantly contributed to providing a conducive environment for oil and gas businesses to thrive.

“The OPDS carry out routine community outreaches that impact on the wellbeing of the populace. These include medical outreaches, scholarships for indigent students, and various ecological support such as the clearing of canals to reduce the impact of flooding on communities. A very good example is the annual end-of-year programme organised by HQ OPDS where some members of the immediate Igbogene Community that host the HQ are supported with palliatives and incentives”.

The Commander, NNS Soroh, Commodore Nanmar Sunday Lakan, said, Operation Delta Safe covers about 10 states.

The Maritime components units, he said, have five type A bases, comprising all the Navy Ship bases in its area of responsibility, and six type B bases which comprise of Forward Operating Base (FOB).

He said that no fewer than 198 illegal refining sites were demobilized within six months.