The Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, has said that suspected oil thieves resort to the use of women and children as cover for their illicit and illegal bunkering camps in the state.
The governor made this known during his close meeting with traditional rulers and local government chairmen at the government house in Yenagoa. This finding came following a successful raid by security operatives that uncovered the trend during reconnaissance operations.
The governor called on traditional rulers to educate their communities about the environmental and health risks posed by illegal refining trade.
“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,” he said.
“Sometimes, when the military is authorized to destroy those camps and they get there on reconnaissance, they discover that children and women are used to shielding 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.”
Diri urged the monarchs and council chairmen to urgently address the issue, which he said was prevalent in Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor, Brass, and Nembe LGAs.
He also encouraged the monarchs to report oil bunker sites within their domains.
The governor noted that the problem could be tackled effectively through collaboration with security agencies.
