The Ijaw Youths Council, IYC, Worldwide has frowned at the Federal Government’s decision to send more troops to the Niger Delta to protect oil installations in the region.
The umbrella body of Ijaw youths pointed out that the presence of the military and other security agents have not done much in curbing the incidence of oil theft, kidnapping, pipeline vandalism and other criminal activities in the area, rather the situation worsens by the day.
The IYC, in a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesman, Eric Omare stated that they had always insisted that in some cases, security agents, contractors and even oil company workers were complicit in the illegalities going on in the region.
He said, “The Federal Government cannot claim ignorance of these facts with the security apparatus at its disposal.
“Instead of sending more troops who would come and commit more inconveniences to the people of the region such as intimidation, harassment of innocent villagers and unnecessary arrests, we call for quality intelligence gathering on the role of oil companies’ workers, contractors and security agents on the attacks on oil facilities.”
The spokesman said the people and communities of the oil-rich region must be fully engaged in the fight against criminalities if solution to the problem of attacks on oil facilities must be reached.
He maintained that sending all the soldiers in the country to the area will only add to the disheartening problems of the region.
“There should be an incentive based legal framework to make the communities where oil facilities are located stakeholders in the oil produced in their communities,” Omare added.
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