Oil Theft; Group Petitions National Security Adviser, accuse youth president of plans to unleash mayhem in Ekpeyeland

...As Soldiers Apprehend pipeline Vandals and illegal bunkerers.

A group, the Niger Delta Situation Room has accused the youth president of Igbuduya community, Ifeanyi Madu of planning to unleash mayhem in Ekpeyeland as a cover-up for his illegal oil bunkering activities.

The group in a petition to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and signed by Alvin Dogu, a program officer, disclosed that the youth president has been sponsoring incessent protests in the area, one of which took place on Wednesday, 21st September, along the busy East/West road, ostensibly blackmailing an oil company operating in the area, to suspend the operations of a surveillance team operating in the area.


According to the group, "Igbuduya Youth Assembly blocked and shutdown the Okogbe axis of the East West Road, Ahoada West LGA of Rivers State in protest against a NAOC surveillance contractor. The Youths during the protest threatened to blow and shut down all AGIP oil installations in the area if AGIP does not listen to their demands to suspend the operations of pipeline surveillance team engaged by the oil company to safeguard it's pipelines.


The Igbuduya youths under the manipulation of Ifeanyi Madu, had embarked on similar protest last week and gave a one week ultimatum to NAOC to immediately withdraw a pipeline surveillance contractor engaged by the oil company.

The group revealed that the surveillance team has been a torn in the flesh of the illegal oil bunkerers in the area.


The group lamented that the activities of the youth president has impacted negatively on the environment and eco system of the area. According to the petition, " the activities of the oil bunkerers has devastated the environment in Ekpeyeland. The air is so polluted that the heavy smell of benzene and other cancerous gasses, suffocates the entireland. Rivers have been polluted, denying the people of access to drinking water and destroying aquatic life. Farmlands have been polluted.."

In a related development, soldiers of the Nigerian Army has arrested a gang of pipeline Vandals and illegal oil bunkerers on Wednesday, 21st Sept, 2022. The gang which specializes in bursting oil pipelines and compromising oil well heads, were caught red handed while siphoning crude oil from an oil pipe and also illegally refinning the stolen crude oil.

Incidentally, while the protest was going on, David Madu, a younger brother to the Igbuduya Youth President, Ifeanyi Madu, was among the arrested oil thieved arrested by the army, at a separate location. Sources in the area disclosed that the youth president and his brother are notorious illegal oil bunkerers.

Reacting to the petition by the Niger Delta Situation Room, which was copied to the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), the south south zonal chairman of the CLO, Karl Chinedu Uchegbu, regreted that the exulted position of youth president and community leaders are steadily being infiltrated by criminal elements in the communities.

The CLO boss, warned that the nexus between oil Theft and community leadership structure portends a serious danger to peace and security in the communities.

He called on the security agencies to beam their searchlight on the area and to fish out those who are hiding under the cover of youth organisations to engage in criminal acts

It would be recalled that recently, the activities of oil bunkerers and cult groups led to the death of two persons and properties destroyed on Okogbe Community in Ahoada West LGA of Rivers state.