Okomu Oil Threatens To Shut Down Operations Over Insecurity

Okomu Oil Palm Plc's management said its multi-billion-naira investment in Edo might get into trouble due to insecurity caused by disruptions and attacks by militants and they might have to shut down the plantation.

The Managing Director of the company Graham Hefer said on Wednesday that one such attack took place on Monday morning, resulting in the cold-blooded assassinations' of three workers inside the plantation.

"The female worker, who was held hostage but managed to escape unhurt said the six-armed gunmen came in through the Okomu Riverside and also escaped through the same route in their motorboat," Hefer said, Premium Times reported.

He added, "This is one of the two incidences within a space of one week. Last week, armed gunmen ambushed the company's patrol vehicle which they riddled with bullets."

Hefer explained that if the situation continues to be the same within and outside the plantation, then they might have shut down the operations.

As far as the solution is concerned, he said that the government needs to come and take over complete control of this area in order to stop these gunmen from attacking the local people working for the plantation.

"The government that is supposed to be their custodian and protect the tenants like us absolutely has no control whatsoever. We are left to our faith," he said. "There are police personnel or soldiers and no police post at all."

He noted that the government needs to provide the plantation area and people living nearby with security as they are law-abiding citizens, revealing that the company has multiple times requested the government to put a military base on the plantation.

"It's absurd that we pay over N12 billion in taxes to the government annually and still are left to fend and seek security for equipment and personnel by ourselves," he added. "We have to fund our own security and pay more charges in taxes without commensurate service delivery. What kind of investment-friendly environment are you providing?"

Hefer said that the incidents of insecurity have been reported to the 4 Brigade and the police authority.

Last month, President Bola Tinubu threatened those forces that create insecurity in Nigeria, warning that they would be paying a heavy price.