A Niger Delta group, the Buckingham Palace Group, has condemned recent calls by some ex-Niger Delta agitators for the cancellation of the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), stating that the contract has helped curb oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the region.
The group also dismissed allegations by the Aggressive Niger Delta Freedom Fighters Forum that community youths were being marginalized and that the Olu of Warri, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, was involved in bunkering activities.
The agitators had circulated a statement on social media, urging the Presidency to terminate the legally awarded surveillance contract to PINL over these allegations.
In a statement jointly signed by its Public Relations Officer, Kenny Amgbare, and Vice President, Festus Ederekumor, the Buckingham Palace Group described the claims as “baseless, wild, weightless, and inflammatory.”
The group reaffirmed its support for PINL and the Olu of Warri, whose reign, it said, has been defined by “vision, peace, and dignity.”
It maintained that PINL’s activities in the Niger Delta have significantly boosted oil production and increased government revenue, especially through near-zero infractions on the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) over the past year.
Describing the allegations as “ill-conceived and self-serving,” the group argued that PINL operates with inclusiveness and fairness, actively engaging host communities and promoting local content. It noted that the company has consistently employed local youths and implemented various capacity-building and skills acquisition initiatives through its monthly stakeholders’ engagements.
On the claim that PINL is involved in bunkering, the group noted that the company operates under the strict supervision of federal agencies, with a clear mandate to prevent not abet pipeline vandalism and oil theft.
“To accuse the same security contractor of enabling the crimes it exists to combat is to misunderstand both logic and law,” the group said, while also rejecting claims that PINL sponsors conflicts within host communities. “The company’s operational ethos is rooted in peacebuilding, from brokering dialogue to supporting reconciliation. If there is any fire, it is not lit by this firm.”
The group further described as “dangerous and ethnically divisive” the claim that PINL or the Olu of Warri seeks to rename Ijaw communities. It insisted that PINL, being a private infrastructure company with a clearly defined federal mandate, does not and cannot redraw boundary lines or alter land jurisdictions.
“These allegations are misleading and incendiary. Territorial boundaries are outside the scope of corporate ambition,” the statement said.
The group urged the public to disregard the agitators’ claims, describing them as a smokescreen for personal interests. “These are not cries for justice, but chants of opportunism. Their authors do not speak for the Niger Delta, they speak only for themselves.”
It also called on all stakeholders including traditional institutions, community leaders, youth organizations, and civil society groups to stand united against manipulation and defend the peace currently enjoyed in the region in order to foster sustainable development.
