Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 governorship election in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has said that those responsible for oil theft in the Niger Delta are not hiding.
The former Executive Director of Sahara Energy who made the claim during an interview on Channels Television, said oil thieves must be part of the discussion on ending oil bunkering.
Cole said;
“You have to bring them in. They must be part of the discussion. They are not hidden. Some of them may have grown through the creeks, some of them you see their lifestyles change.
“You see someone whose lifestyle has changed, you see the houses have changed, you see the cars have changed, you see the money that is spent, so you know. This is a society where when we were growing up if you start showing money and no one knows where it’s coming from, everyone will ostracise you from the society.
“Today it has changed; nobody cares where your money is coming from again. So it is not hidden, people know almost immediately within the community that this is what is going on.”
Also commenting on Asari Dokubo’s allegation of oil theft against the military, Tonye stated that it is a big issue that must be addressed. He stated that while the military might have been angered by Dokubo’s claim, they would not deny that there are some bad eggs that aid and abet illegal bunkering.