DPR denied youth’s allegation of crude of oil theft by Universal Energy

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), in Eket on Wednesday denied the alleged crude oil theft, by Universal Energy Resources Ltd. (UERL).
However, the allegation was made by youths from Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom.

Mr Asuquo Antai, the DPR Operations Controller in Eket, made the denial in an interview with newsmen in Eket Local Government Area.
Antai said that the trucking of crude oil from the UERL was very doubtful, saying it was difficult to believe that any responsible company would truck crude. 

Our Correspondent reports that youths from Unyenge community in Mbo, wrote a petition dated March 3, addressed to Managing Director of UERL was brought before the House of Representative for debate.

The youth alleged that the commodity was being loaded in Unyenge without following due process as it were in the community.
The youths described the development as economic sabotage.
According to Antai, it was not a common practice to truck out crude from any producing field. 

“The practice is to send it through pipe and to the export terminal where it will then be exported out of the country.
“The allegation of trucking out crude from UERL premise is very surprising because it is difficult to believe, because no responsible producing company in Nigeria will do that today,’’ he said. 

Antai said that UERL ties their production with ExxonMobil, Qua Iboe Terminal (QIT), Ibeno through pipe and not by road. 

He insisted that the issue of trucking becomes very doubtful.
Antai said that UERL carried out test but the oil company had not concluded ties in arrangement to pump crude through ExxonMobil.
“So they could not have pumped the crude to ExxonMobil, it was stored in tanks in their own facilities. 

“After some months when they got their tie into ExxonMobil platform, they now pump the crude back to their system and process them to QIT through pipe, so the issue of trucking crude by road is very questionable,’’ he said.
Antai said that the House of Representative had set up eight-man ad-hoc committee led by Mr Friday Itula, for further investigation.
He said that UERL, youths in the area and DPR would meet with the chairman of committee on March 24 at the National Assembly. 

Our Correspondent reports that the committee visited the well head site and observed that there were five tanks at the site, three were empty, and one was discharging to UERL facility while one was filled with crude oil awaiting discharge.