CRIME
Dokubo Accuses Army, Navy of Oil Theft in Niger Delta
By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja
Former leader of the defunct Niger Delta Volunteer Force, (NDVF) Asari Dokubo on Friday, met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, where he revealed how oil bunkering activities thrive in the south south region.
Dokubo in a no holds barred expose, said top military personnel particularly the Army and Navy were the worst culprits in terms of aiding and abetting bunkering activities.
He alleged that the military usually intimidates the police and officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who are mandated to guard the pipelines.
Dokubo however, said because of his closeness with the President, he would work with the administration to bring the menace in the oil-rich and attacks on oil facilities in Niger Delta to zero level.
The former Niger Delta agitator, who refuted claims that people from the oil-rich region were those involved in oil-theft and pipelines vandalism, argued that ordinary citizens who are often blamed for these criminal activities were not responsible as they do not have the wherewithal to carry out such massive scale stealing.
He said these notorious Army and Naval oil kingpins have been engaged in stealing of crude oil in an unprecedented scale in the last eight years.
According to him, the way the oil thieves have gone about their criminal activities has stripped the people of the Niger Delta of their livelihood, noting that it was a crime against humanity.
“The president is a fatherly figure to me. Our relationship spans over 30 years. I came here today to give words of encouragement to the President for the actions and policies so far made in this less than three weeks of governing a very difficult country like Nigeria.
“We discussed on wide range of issues, especially on security and oil thief in the Niger Delta. Myself and my brothers, have assured the President that there would be zero oil theft and vandalization in the Niger Delta. We’re going to work with an NNPC, PCN and the IOCs to make sure that oil theft is brought to zero.
“I also want to say that oil theft is encouraged by the military. The military is at the center of oil theft and we have to make this very, very clear to the Nigerian public. 99% of oil theft can be traced to the Nigerian military, the army and the navy especially.
“The Army and the Navy intimidate the Civil Defence, who are by status, the people who are supposed to guard these pipelines. They receive a lot of money from NNPCL and the IOCs and just across the corner, you will see a houseboat a few meters from the house boat, you will see an oil bunkering refinery or tapping directly from oil well ends.
“It is very pathetic now. What is happening in the Niger Delta in the past eight years was unprecedented in the history of oil production anywhere in the world.
“The vandals do not only attack the pipelines, they have migrated from the pipeline and have gone directly to the oil well heads and they take directly from the oil well heads. They set up haphazard facilities they call local refinery, artisanal refinery, this is crime against humanity because the livelihood of the people is being totally destroyed.
“The livelihood of the people is totally destroyed and every meter you see a naval house boat or an army house boat stationed. So the main culprits are the Army and the Navy and there are notorious naval commanders who are known to be kingpins of these bunkering activities. Even if they give 1 billion contracts to everybody in the Niger Delta, because these military men are armed from the Army and the Navy nothing will happen.
“The President has promised to take decisive action to make sure that this does not continue, it is brought to an end. It is very shameful. So I had volunteered to help, to assist and to do the things that are necessary to put a stop to this evil that is being perpetrated against the people of the Niger Delta, the oil community and the whole of Nigerians”, he said.
Dokubo also alleged that it is an act of blackmail for the military to say that they have insufficient armaments to deal with insecurity, accusing them of forfeiting their weapons to the insurgents, which continued to fuel the insurgency.
According to him, Nigeria is currently going through a full-scale war in different parts of the country, adding that he had continued to render mercenary services to the federal government to keep all parts of the country safe for citizens to be able to travel and go about their businesses safely
“On security, I want to clearly say that there are full scale wars going on in different parts of this country. In the Southeast, the IPOB/ESN is waging a full scale war against the government of this country and many local governments, many communities are deserted, schools are closed, hospitals are closed.
“In the same vein, in Niger, in Zamfara, in Plateau, in Kaduna, in Yobe, in Borno, we’re only talking about Boko Haram. Boko Haram is just a tip of the iceberg, there’s a full scale war going on and the blackmail of the Nigerian state by the Nigerian military is shameful. They said they do not have enough armament and people listen to this false narrative. They are lying. They are liars, I repeat they are liars because I’m a participant.
“I am a participant in this war, I fight on the side the government of the Nigerian state; in Plateau, in Niger, in Anambra, in Imo, in Abia and in Rivers state and in Abuja. Today you’re travelling to Kaduna on this road, it’s not the army that makes it possible for you to travel to Abuja, or travel to Kaduna, vice versa. It is my men, employed by the government of the Nigerian state, stationed in Niger.
“Today you travel to Baga, you go to Shiroro, you go to Wase. We have lost so many men and we do not use, in all these engagements, we don’t even have 1% of the armament deployed by the Nigerian military. 1% and we have had resounding success. So this blackmail must end, they have enough resources to fight. Instead of fighting, they are busy stealing, they are busy making the government to spend unnecessarily”, he said.
Dokubo also called for the prosecution of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, arguing that his release would fuel impunity “during EndSars, Nnamdi Kanu was walking free. What did he do? He poured petrol on the flames of EndSars. Now, he has been caught. What of the people who have died? This is a criminal. He should face the law.
“Releasing Nnamdi Kanu is rewarding criminality and rewarding gruesome murder of innocent people. He should face the law for the actions and instigations he has carried out”, he said.
From Francis Sadhere, Delta
A Delta State High Court sitting in Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area, has sentenced two men to death by hanging for the kidnapping and murder of Miss Elozino Joshualia Ogege, a 300-level Mass Communication student of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, bringing to an end a legal battle that lasted about nine years.
Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge, who delivered judgment on Wednesday, convicted Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro and Enaike Onoriode on charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, and murder.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Nwosisi Benedict Uche, after ruling that the prosecution failed to establish his involvement beyond reasonable doubt.Ogege, an indigene of Isoko, Delta State, was murdered in 2019 after she reportedly left to meet a man who had promised to help her secure accommodation within the DELSU community in Abraka. Her death sparked widespread outrage across the country after investigations alleged that parts of her body, including her eyes, breasts and heart, had been removed in what was believed to be a ritual killing linked to suspected internet fraudsters, popularly known as “Yahoo Plus” operators.
The Delta State Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, prosecuted the defendants on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery, membership of an unlawful society and murder.
A fourth defendant, Robinson Obajero Ojokojo, said to be a native doctor, died during the course of the trial.
The proceedings suffered repeated delays over the years, largely due to the frequent absence of counsel representing the first defendant. After the parties adopted their final written addresses earlier this year, Justice Azinge reserved judgment before delivering her verdict on July 29, 2026.
Reacting to the judgment, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Omamuzo Erebe, SAN, who led the prosecution alongside Okolotu Ugochukwu and Funkekeme Solomon Junior, described the verdict as a landmark victory for justice.
Erebe said the court found the two convicted defendants guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder and murder. While they received varying prison terms on some of the counts, he noted that the offences relating to conspiracy to commit murder and the murder of Miss Ogege attracted the death sentence by hanging.
He expressed condolences to the family of the deceased, saying they had waited for years to see justice served.
“Although this judgment cannot bring Elozino back, we hope it provides some measure of closure to her family. They have waited about nine years, and today justice has finally been served,” he said.
Erebe added that the judgment should serve as a deterrent to those involved in ritual killings and other violent crimes, warning that no matter how long it takes, offenders would eventually be brought to justice.
Counsel to the first defendant, Benjamin Okoh, also reacted to the judgment, describing it as “justice at last.”
He said the judgment demonstrated that justice had not only been done but had been seen to have been done. Okoh also commended the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria for its role throughout the trial and expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision.
From Aliyu Askira, Kano
A Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Farida Dan Baffa, has sentenced one Sha’aibu Abdulkadir, to death for the murder of a newly married pregnant woman, Rumasa’u Shuaibu.
Abdulkadir had claimed during the trial that he killed the pregnant woman after she informed him that the baby in her womb belonged to him and not her newly married husband.
The culprit also told the court that the deceased had demanded N500,000 from him and threatened to expose their secret relationship if he failed to pay the money within a given period.
According to evidence before the court, Abdulkadir visited the deceased at her residence in 2025, where he allegedly killed her after she informed him that she was pregnant with his child rather than her husband.
In the course of the trial, the prosecution called three witnesses, while the defendant testified by himself.
In a judgement delivered on July 24, 2026, the Judge sentenced Abdulkadir to death by hanging after finding him guilty of murdering a newly married 23 year old Rumasa’u Shuaibu.
After reviewing the evidence and submissions of both parties, Justice Dan Baffa ruled that the prosecution had established the offence beyond reasonable doubt and consequently sentenced the defendant to death by hanging.
The Police Commander in Rivers has arrested four suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate and rescued a woman abducted from her shop in the state.
The command’s Spokesperson, Blessing Agabe, disclosed this on Thursday in Port Harcourt.
Agabe said that a white-tinted minibus allegedly used by the gang was also recovered.
She also said that the rescue followed an intelligence-led operation by operatives of the command’s Violent Crime Rescue Unit.
According to her, the victim’s husband, Ikechukwu, 35, reported the abduction on July 11.
“The woman was attending to customers at her shop when armed men stormed the premises and abducted her. The suspects forced the victim into a white-tinted minibus before fleeing the scene.
“Following the report, the command launched an intelligence-driven investigation which led operatives to the gang’s hideout.
“Four male suspects, aged between 28 and 42, were arrested at the hideout. The victim was rescued unharmed during the operation.”
Agabe added that all the four suspects have confessed to their individual roles in the crime.
The spokesperson said efforts were ongoing to apprehend two other members of the syndicate still at large and to recover the firearms used in their operations.
She urged residents to provide prompt and credible information to the police, assuring that “every useful piece of information provided will be treated with the utmost confidentiality”.
She reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property through intelligence-led policing and lawful strategies aimed at bringing criminal elements to justice.
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