An elder statesman Andonki Ibara has said that eradication of crude oil theft, illegal refineries, and bunkering of such products is not possible until their prices become low. Chief Ibara made this known in an interview with our reporters in Port Harcourt, stressing that no matter the measures taken by the Government on oil theft and illegal refining of such products without revisiting subsidy removal will hit rocks because the high cost of petroleum products attracts more people into the illegal business. Ibara stated that upon the $1.3 Billion spent on the Surveillance contract with Tompolo, the problem became worse.
Elder Andonki Ibara equally stated that the Nigerian youths see the business as a gold mine that enriches those who can monster courage to face the risk inherent thereto, no matter the number gunned down by Delta Joint Task Force on oil theft and illegal bunkering. According to him even the surveillance contract and its renewal have been criticized by a lot of Nigerians.
In the first instance was the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara who criticized giving the contract to a single person stressing that the surveillance should be managed by more than one person for effectiveness and proper monitoring of the pipelines. Many more reactions trail the pipeline surveillance contract wherein there are accusations and counter-accusations by Tompolo against him. The ex-militant leader, High Chief Government Ekpemukpolo popularly called Tompolo on different occasions accused other ex-militant leaders, and top government officials and politicians of involvement in oil theft, illegal refining, and bunkering without proof. One of the militant commanders Moses Ebipador alleged that the Nigerian Crude Oil Production and export within this period Tompolo got the oil pipeline surveillance contract decreased instead of increased yet the Federal Government is spending such a huge amount of money to that effect. He said that Tompolo should rest on his lapses rather than accusing innocent people of oil vandalism since he is involved in illegal refining work, bunkering, and crude oil theft
