The maritime workers alleged that the security agents is making life unbearable for the indigenes of the coastal communities with the alleged extortion of between N5,000 and N6,000 from local boat operators.
The chairman of the union, Comrade Lyod Sese, said the rising cases of extortion from boat operators by security personnel along the waterways of Southern Ijaw, Nembe,Ogbia and Brass local government area was alarming.
“If the boat operators refuse to pay,the boats are subtly delayed until compliance is effected,” he said.
The union identified Ogboibiri checkpoint in Southern Ijaw, Agip Oil Flow Station at Brass and Nembe checkpoints manned by soldiers as the places where the illegal act was worst.
“The duty of the soldiers is to protect oil facilities and installations but they have resorted to extorting money from boat operators along Apoi/Bassan and Yenagoa routes,” he lamented.
He claimed that the soldiers and Marine Policemen extort boat operators of charges ranging between non-compliance with availability of first aid boxes, fire extinguishers and operation permits.
Contacted on the development, the media coordinator of the JTF, Lt. Col. Onyemma Nwachukwu, dismissed the claims of the Maritime Workers Union as “misplaced” and “lacking in merit” as they have failed to utilise the open door policy of the Joint Military Task Force on the reportage of cases of indiscipline among men of the Task Force.
“We have given the leadership of the State Maritime Union the needed cooperation and we have informed them that if they have a case on alleged indiscipline of a soldier, they should come forward with the name of the officer and allege misconduct.We don’t tolerate indiscipline.Why should they attribute the extortion to soldiers? I don’t believe our men are involved,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment