Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has
expressed concern over a new trend in oil bunkering, saying children and women
were being used as human shields at illegal refining camps.
The Bayelsa governor stated this during a meeting with
first class traditional rulers in the state and local government chairmen in
Government House, Yenagoa.
He said the ugly situation was discovered by security
operatives on reconnaissance operations and called on traditional rulers to
educate their subjects on the dangers of the illegal business to human health
and the environment.
He said: “The report I received recently is that at
illegal bunkering sites, they now have children and women, which is a dimension
I have never heard before.
“Sometimes, when the military are authorised to
destroy those camps and they get there on reconnaissance, they discover that
children and women are used to shield those places. So, we all have to work
together in our domains to educate our people.
“There was a situation where the military moved in and
discovered that children and women were there and had to withdraw.”
Governor Diri urged the monarchs and council chairmen
to take steps to curb the menace which
he said occurred in Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor, Brass and Nembe council areas.
He also charged the monarchs to report to him oil
bunkering sites in their domains, stressing that the ugly trend could be
addressed through collaborative efforts.
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