The national committee of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on illegal bunkering has accused the Nigerian Army of sabotaging its fight against illegal bunkering in the Niger Delta region.

The committee, which was recently inaugurated, is a national monitoring/surveillance committee to check activities of illegal oil bunkering, smuggling, pipelines vandalism, adulteration of petroleum products and other sharp practices in the petroleum downstream sector.

Speaking with journalists on behalf of the national chairman of the committee, Isah Abdullahi Gusau, a member of the committee, Mallam Nasiru Ya’u, accused operatives of 6 Division, Nigerian Army, of taking over two trucks laden with crude oil, which were arrested by the team, but refused to take the vehicles into the Army barracks in the Rivers State capital.

Ya’u said the taskforce suspected that the military personnel may turn behind the team to negotiate and release the siezed trucks to the owners or possibly sell the products themselves.

He said: “The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria recently inaugurated a taskforce against all these oil bunkering and sharp practices in the oil and gas sector. The day after yesterday, our team in Rivers arrested two trucks carrying crude oil.

“Usually, with the collaboration with the Nigerian Army and other security agencies, when we do the arrests, we hand over the trucks to them. So, since yesterday (Wednesday) morning, the trucks were handed over to the Lieutenant in-charge of anti-bunkering at Bori Camp.

“However, they have refused to take the trucks into Bori Camp. They parked them outside Bori Camp. Based on our experience, when we arrest trucks and hand over to them, they will go behind us to either collect money and release the trucks or sell the product by themselves.

“But, whenever they are honest, they take the trucks into the Bori Camp and once the trucks are inside Bori Camp, everybody is aware and action will be taken. For over 24 hours, they have refused to take the trucks into Bori Camp. So, we suspect foul play.

“On Tuesday, when we arrested the trucks, we had a video clip at the point of arrest and the confession of the truck drivers.”

Speaking on the issue, leader of the team that arrested the two trucks and coordinator of the IPMAN Taskforce in Rivers and Bayelsa States, Muktar Mamuda, said they had already confirmed from papers presented by the truck drivers, that the crude oil was purchased illegally before the soldiers came.

Mamuda said: “Yesterday (Wednesday), we arrested two trucks along Aba Road, near Shell gate and as we were trying to confirm if they were carrying illegally refined petroleum products or crude oil; to confirm from their papers if the product was from NNPCL or illegal products.

“Before we knew it, military people came in two Hilux vehicles and hijacked and hijacked the two trucks. But, they have not taken the trucks into Bori Camp.”

When contacted, the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 6 Division, Port Harcourt, Lt. Colonel Danjuma Danjuma, insisted that the movement of the two trucks and the products were legitimate.

Danjuma said: “There is no issue. The movement of the vehicles and of course, the products is legitimate with all the necessary authorization.”