Fisayo Soyombo, the founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), has made shocking revelations about the involvement of military personnel in illegal oil bunkering activities.
Speaking on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels TV on Friday, Soyombo recounted his recent arrest by a military task force while working undercover to expose oil bunkering operations in the Niger Delta region.
Soyombo, known for his fearless investigative reporting, explained that his undercover mission aimed to uncover the intricate network behind the theft of Nigeria’s resources.
“I am involved in public interest journalism attempting to get to the bottom of a story in the interest of the public,” he said. “This was about protecting our resources, getting an idea of the people behind illegal oil bunkering, the process, and some of their backers. When you know the process of an act of theft, when you have inside information about the process, then you’re better equipped to stop it.”
Soyombo narrated how his mission was interrupted when military personnel arrested him at a bunkering site. Despite identifying himself as a journalist and presenting evidence of his work, he was detained for three days without communication.
“I had finished before the army, and we eventually would have gone back to them to say, ‘These are my findings, what do you have to say?’” he explained. “But the military arrested me at the bunkering site. I was taken to Port Harcourt and told them I was doing undercover reporting. I showed them evidence of my previous works. But, to my surprise, they kept me for three days, incommunicado. The only reason I’m out is that the news filtered out. If the news hadn’t filtered out, I would still be in detention by now.”
He criticized the army’s statement that portrayed him as a suspect, calling it misleading.
“The army released a statement to say they arrested some suspects and I was one of them. The army did not arrest suspects. The army did not chase me and arrest me. They got to the scene. I didn’t know who was who. So, I dodged somewhere. Then, after like 30 minutes, some conversations were going on. They flashed a torch in my direction, and I came forward.”
Soyombo’s most damning revelation centered on the complicity of security operatives in facilitating oil bunkering.
“The most important point to make is that illegal oil bunkers bribe security operatives across the different security agencies to make the bunkering happen. Those who should be ending bunkering are partners or allies of those involved in the illegal oil bunkering,” he alleged.
According to him, information he shared with the military during his detention was leaked to the very oil bunkers he was investigating.
“Everything about me. These people were telling me who I was while I was in detention. I didn’t speak to anyone else. As a matter of fact, they did not give me a phone to call anyone until Friday evening. How did the illegal bunkers then know anything about me? This vindicates my decision not to involve the army [in the undercover work] from scratch.”
Soyombo questioned the integrity of the military and demanded answers regarding the leaked information.
“There are so many saboteurs in the military [working against ending illegal oil bunkering]. I expect the army spokesperson to come out to explain how you had an investigative journalist with you; you grilled him, and the things he told you with regards to illegal oil bunkers before he left you. It’s damning. How do we trust you?”
Soyombo’s revelations have sparked concerns about the integrity of Nigeria’s fight against illegal oil bunkering. His account underscores the urgent need for systemic reforms within the security agencies tasked with protecting the nation’s resources.
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