Okuama Killings Revolve Around Crude Oil Disagreement – Report
By Dailytab24.
The killing of 16 soldiers with their top ranked officers in Okuama boils down to crude oil disagreement. The disclosure was made after an indept assessment of the matter, which involved juxtaposing of interviews and independent investigation carried out by this online news company.
Militancy is a persistent security issue in Niger Delta region of the country, and has resulted in deaths and kidnappings. Most youth are unemployed, and have formed a criminal syndicate responsible for oil theft. While those that are highly connected use youth to create a violence aimed at controlling oil businesses within a particular area.
Militancy has significantly affected the output rate of the country, leading to over 45% decrease in barrels of oil per day at peak time. This output has largely affected the economic situation of the country, and has contributed to inflation and borrowing.
Nigeria remains at loggerheads with the perfect or acceptable derivation for the communities that host oil producing companies. Most communities complain of not getting the derivation when paid to community leaders. Corruption is the main problem confronting the dividends of the oil exploration of the communities in the region.
The corruption has eaten deep that most high ranking military personnel now get involve in oil bunkering and criminal sales of crude. Oil syndicate is a thriving cartel in the Niger Delta region, just like drug cartels in Mexico. Oil bunkering and crude oil criminal sales often involve top ranking officers deployed to the region.
Okuama is not an exception, militancy thrives in the area and warlords have the community under their rules. The warlords do not necessarily need the consent of the community, they simply subdue and harass community members. Sometimes, one warlord controls three local government areas.
The soldiers killed was as a result of disagreement, in what appears like the commander’s lack of cooperation with the militants warlords ruling the area, the commander was attacked after visiting Okuama.
There was reports of interested parties who wanted to negotiate with the commander of the 181 Amphibious Battalion. But he appeared to have declined approaches from the militant contractors and that inched him closer to assassination.
His assassination was well planned, as he was ambushed in Okuama. Murdered in Okuama with his orderlies, the culprits quickly framed Okuama youth, which led to massacre of innocent youth.
Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff hinted that he was aware of the disagreement by saying “I know him, the C. O himself, Lt. Col. Ali. Because of recent, we emphasised that we want oil production in Nigeria to increase, so that we will be able to have enough foreign exchange for things to go down, because we all know the challenges we are facing” he said of the late commander.
“And so, he insisted that all illegal activities within his general area must stop. He directed all the troops and the were stopping illegal bunkering, and then, these are the people benefiting from it” he said of those that killed the commander.
” And so when the issue came up, at became and opportunity for them to do away with him. Which is exactly what happened”
The killing of the 16 soldiers with their commanders will be the most notable attack from criminal oil syndicate disagreement in recent history.
