Oil Theft: Nigerians Fault Death Penalty Proposal

Some stakehold-ers in Port Harcourt have condemned the death penalty for oil theft being proposed by the Senate President, David Mark, saying that death penalty will not put to a stop oil theft and illegal bunkering, especially in the Niger Delta region.

They noted that oil theft had advanced that there were other better options that could be used to check  and make the business uninteresting.

Reacting to the issue, the Executive Director of the Institute  of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (IHRHL) Anyakwe Nsirimovu said that death penalty should  be for corruption and not for the oil theft.

According to him, “corruption is  a major problem in Nigeria because  many highly placed persons are involved in  oil theft even indirectly”.

He, therefore, posited that government should take more decisive action  against corruption, and that the death penalty should be for corrupt public officers, and also urged government to create employment for the youths.

On his part, the National Industrial Relations Officer of PENGASSAN, and chairman, Trade Union Congress in Rivers State, Chika Onuegbu called for thumb printing of Nigerian oil at the international market to distinguish it from others.

He said the thumb printing  of Nigerian oil would be a better option to discourage oil theft, instead of a death penalty as  was advanced by David Mark.

Onuegbu also urged the Federal Government to set aside 10 per cent of its  income for the oil-producing communities.

Corlins Walter