Environmental rights activist Morris Alagoa has called on the Federal Government to withdraw the Joint Task Force (JTF) from the Niger Delta region, citing a significant reduction in oil theft and related crimes.

Speaking at an environmental summit in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Alagoa, a field officer with Environmental Rights Action, said the region is now largely peaceful and no longer requires heavy military presence.

In an interview with New Telegraph, he alleged that JTF personnel have been complicit in aiding the illegal refining of petroleum products—known locally as “Kpo Fire.” According to him, community members claimed the JTF is more accommodating compared to other security outfits.

“The people told me they prefer JTF to Tantita and other pipeline surveillance contractors. With the JTF, it’s ‘chop I chop’—a local slang implying mutual benefit—but the others are more aggressive. They destroy camps and even beat up locals,” he said.

Alagoa added, “If the JTF is not effectively protecting the critical infrastructure they were deployed for, then it is time for them to leave. The funds being spent on their maintenance should be redirected to uplift impoverished communities suffering from hunger and neglect.”

He also criticized the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), calling for its urgent review. According to him, the Act has already begun fueling tensions within local communities.

“The PIA is a recipe for crisis. People now scramble to become paramount rulers or decision-makers just so they can demand kickbacks from contractors. It’s already happening. Our concern is that the implementation is too slow and lacks transparency,” he said.