ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
Women and youths of Biseni community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have clashed with soldiers over suspicious tankers coming out of their forest.
Tension began when the women and youths of the area said they wanted to know the contents of the five tankers.
It was gathered that the soldiers guarding the tankers conveying ‘black liquid’ suspected to be stolen crude oil alleged that the tankers were carrying water mixed with chemicals.
A community leader in Biseni, Chief Justus Bekesu, said on Friday that the clash was triggered by an incident that occurred in the area last Sunday when residents suspected some trucks coming out of oil drilling sites.
Bekesu said: “On that day, our people saw tankers coming out of Biseni forest where both Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) drill crude oil from. Suspecting foul play, our youths stopped them and wanted to know what the tankers were carrying.
“When our people asked, they said it was water mixed with chemicals. They claimed that they avoided disposing the chemical at the site to avoid damage to the environment. They also claimed they were taking it to a safe place for proper disposal. But our youths insisted that they wanted to confirm if what they said was true.
“But to our greatest surprise, when they checked, the first tanker was conveying water while the remaining four tankers were filled with crude oil. And when the soldiers were confronted with the facts, they claimed that they didn’t know that the other tankers were carrying crude oil. After much argument, they left.”
He claimed that the residents woke up on Friday morning to see over 30 armed soldiers in their community to allegedly free the seized trucks.
He further alleged that the soldiers even came with tyre pumps to put air in the tyres of the tankers the youths had deflated with the intention to move them away by force.
Bekesu noted: “That was when our youths and women came out en masse and blocked the road preventing them from leaving by any means.
“It was so terrible that schools were even shut down to safeguard our children from any eventuality. At the end, they failed and left after the clash. But we still fear for a reprisal from the military and whoever sent them.”
The Head of the Niger Delta Resource Centre of the Environmental Right Action (ERA), Morris Alagoa, also confirmed the incident.
He said’ “Information reaching me from Biseni just now indicates that some men in military uniform with guns arrived the environment to release trucks loaded with crude oil which were detained by community folks. And, there is tension. Serious tension.
“According to my source, few days ago, some tankers were seen coming out of the bush of Biseni and the vigilant youths of the clan stopped them to know what the contents of the tankers were.
“They were told it was water. So, the youths climbed up to check and discovered that the content in the tankers was crude oil. So, they prevented the tankers from leaving the environment by deflating the tyres.
“This morning, armed men in military uniform, suspected to be soldiers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, arrived the scene and made attempts to take the tankers with stolen crude oil away. This was resisted by the youths, men and women of Biseni. That brought about the tension.
“The soldiers should be held accountable for any injuries or loss of life and destruction of property as a direct result of this situation. Already, I have made contacts with the authorities in Bayelsa State. The state government should stand by the good people of Biseni at this trying time. Kudos to the Biseni people.”
Morris said they took the development as confirmation that some military personnel are aiding the crime of bunkering in the Niger Delta and it is highly unacceptable.
He urged the Bayelsa State government and the Federal Government to investigate the matter to its logical conclusion and deal with the issue accordingly.
“The good people of Biseni should be commended for exhibiting this rare act of bravery and patriotism. The act of those responsible for this attempt at stealing crude oil in five giant tankers should be condemned in its entirety,” Morris stated.
Efforts to confirm the development from spokesman for the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), Major Victor Odukoya, were unsuccessful as calls to his mobile phone failed to connect