Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa state, says suspected oil thieves use women and children as human shields at illegal refining camps in the state.
Speaking on Tuesday at a meeting with traditional rulers and local government chairmen at the government house in Yenagoa, Diri said security operatives uncovered the trend during reconnaissance operations.
The governor called on traditional rulers to educate their communities about the environmental and health risks posed by illegal refining trade.
“The report I received recently is that at illegal bunkering sites, they now have children and women, which is a dimension I have never heard before,” he said.
“Sometimes, when the military are authorised to destroy those camps and they get there on reconnaissance, they discover that children and women are used to shield those places. So, we all have to work together in our domains to educate our people.
“There was a situation where the military moved in and discovered that children and women were there and had to withdraw.”
Diri urged the monarchs and council chairmen to urgently address the issue, which he said was prevalent in Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor, Brass, and Nembe LGAs.
He also encouraged the monarchs to report oil bunkering sites within their domains.
The governor noted that the problem could be tackled effectively through collaboration with security agencies.
