By Bertram Nwannekanma (Lagos) and Obinna Nwaoku (Port Harcourt)
Commandant General (CG) of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, yesterday, set up an investigation panel over the face off between officers of NSCDC and tanker drivers under the platform of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
The high-powered investigation panel is to look into the circumstances leading to the blockage of the entrance of Rivers State Command of the NSCDC, located at Olu Obasanjo way, GRA, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The committee headed by the Deputy Commandant General (DCG) in charge of Operations, Dauda Mungadi, is to investigate the role played by the State Commandant and members of the Command’s anti-vandal team in the crisis.
Also, Audi ordered the removal of Rivers State Commandant, Michael Ogar, and directed him to hand over the affairs of the Command to his Deputy, pending the deployment of a substantive State Commandant.
He expressed shock at the action taken by NUPENG, which painted a surprising scenario and an unwarranted contradiction to the ideals of the Corps.
The CG noted that, humility and integrity in service delivery is the watchword of the Corps, as such, any breach of trust or suspected compromise by any personnel will not be treated with kid gloves.
Recall that the CG recently summoned Niger Delta State Commandants to Abuja, to charge them on the need to rejig their anti vandal units in line with Mr. President’s order to stop oil theft and other criminal activities within the sector.
He expressed confidence in the ability of the committee to carry out unbiased investigation and appealed to members of the public and all interested stakeholders to await the outcome of the investigation and proposed recommendations.
Recall that tanker drivers on Wednesday threatened to withdraw their services over the failure of the NSCDC to release their impounded trucks in Rivers State.
The tanker drivers issued the threat during a protest at the State Command of the NSCDC along Olu Obasanjo road in Port Harcourt.
The protesters accused the NSCDC of trying to auction a tanker with genuine petroleum products despite a Court ruling ordering the security outfit to release the truck.
Zonal Publicity of Petroleum Tanker Drivers (NUPENG), John -Bosco Agubosco, said the tankers drivers decided to protest after the NSCDC failed to release their trucks.
He said: “Sometime last year, in August, our members were taken to Jos carrying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) officially from Lagos and Warri. The NSCDC caught our vehicles, took the matter to the court and the State High Court struck out the case, but three drivers were locked up in the cell for many weeks.
“So, they now allow the NSCDC to carry the trucks to their parking space at Ogbogoro since they cannot park them anywhere.
“However, the court, in its ruling, freed the drivers on the ground that there was no justification for holding them and their trucks since there was no evidence against them that the petroleum products they were carrying were illegal and that the three trucks were loaded in different parts of Nigeria.
“We came in January, to collect them and we have been appealing to NSCDC Commandant, Ogar Michael, but he refused.
“The product cannot be found anywhere. It was almost 45,000 litres multiplied by three. If you calculate it by the price of fuel now it will amount to about N70 million, while the price of a truck is about N120 million multiplied by three and the product they seized. They are telling us that the trucks were kept in safe custody.”
Source: The Guardian