illegal Bunkering: Amaechi Orders Transfer Of All DPO's In Ogoniland

By Blessing Wikina - Ag. Chief Press Secretary to the Governor

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has directed the State Commissioner of Police to redeploy all the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in Ogoniland as part of measures to stop the illegal bunkering activities going on in the area.

Giving the order today while addressing a stakeholders meeting of Ogoni people in Government House, Port Harcourt, the governor said since the consensus opinion of ogoni’s indicate that the security men in the area, including the Police, aid the illegal bunkering activities, it would be proper to redeploy the Divisional Police Officers in the area to other postings.

He therefore constituted a 44 member Surveillance Team, with ten persons drawn from each of the four local government areas of Ogoniland, in addition to the Council Chairmen as automatic members, and charged them with the duty of patrolling the area in collaboration with the Police and JTF to fish out all illegal bunkerers.

The Committee which has the Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area, Mr Oji Ngofa as its head, is charged with the responsibility of identifying those involved in illegal bunkering activities in the area and assist in apprehending them.

“We have to stamp out illegal bunkering from Ogoniland, so that the local economy can grow again”, Governor Amaechi said, and urged the surveillance team to patrol the areas daily until illegal bunkering activities are stamped out in Ogoniland.

He advised them to work hard to achieve Peace and Security in the Ogoni axis of the state, and called on the people of the area to cooperate with the committee to provide a conducive atmosphere for businesses to thrive.

Also speaking, the State Commander of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF), Colonel Mutiu Yekini, said the JTF has zero tolerance for any act of indiscipline among its members and any officer found to be conniving with those engaged in illegal bunkering would be dealt with severely.

In his speech, Monsignor Matthew Kukah, the Presidential Facilitator for the Environmental Survey/Clean-up of Oil impacted sites in Ogoniland, expressed gratitude to Governor Amaechi for his effort in the successful completion of the exercise.

“Please let us cooperate with UNEP, so that they can meet up the timeline for the completion of the exercise in December 2010, and pave way for the clean-up of Ogoniland”, father Kukah said.

Present at the meeting were United Nations Officials, as well as Ogonis drawn from all walks of life.