Bayelsa State Deputy Governor John Jonah disclosed this in Abuja yesterday while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the council’s meeting chaired by Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo.
He said the money would be used to procure the necessary equipment for the security agencies and provide more security personnel, especially in areas where gaps had been identified.
“The swamp terrain is a very difficult one. In one of the lines between Nembe and Brass, we were told that there are about 150 bunkering points vandalized by crude oil thieves, and we’re in the process of repairing them…It’s the process of equipping security personnel and giving them additional incentive to work that this money is being voted for. It’s not just Army, the Navy and the Air Force, but also the Police, the Civil Defence and even the EFCC,” he said.
Also speaking, Anambra State Governor Peter Obi said the money would be contributed by the federal and state governments as well as the oil companies.
The federal government has awarded pipelines policing contracts to Niger Delta war lords in recent times.