I’m under attack, some people plotting to unseat me – NNPCL boss, Ojulari cries out

The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, today, raised the alarm over threats to his life and those of the company’s management staff.

Ojulari said his only “offence” was introducing reforms in the oil and gas sector in line with the mandate given to him by President Bola Tinubu to revive the nation’s moribund refineries, reports Vanguard.

Speaking when he received a delegation of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), led by its President, Comrade Festus Osifo, at the company’s headquarters in Abuja, Ojulari alleged that some powerful interests opposed to the reforms were plotting to remove him.

He disclosed that the company was considering adopting an NLNG-style partnership model with “a professional refinery company” to ensure the sustainability and profitability of Nigeria’s refineries.

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“Investigation is ongoing; command warns against obstructing police duties,” Ukandu said.

Meanwhile, Mr Ogbonna Nwaeni, Chairman of Amaeze Development Union (ADU) and witness, told NAN that the incident followed an alleged forceful entry into the quarry site by Hephziba and Beulah Concepts Limited.

The chairman alleged that the company reportedly mobilised heavy equipment to the area without the consent of the host community.

Nwaeni said the community was taken aback when the quarry operators allegedly gained access to the site with the support of Civil Defence personnel and some suspected dissident youths.

According to him, the development prompted him to alert the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi, who dispatched SWAT operatives to the scene.

“Information available to me confirmed that both security agencies went confrontational in their approaches, leading to an exchange of gunfire that resulted in the death of a police officer.

“The Hephziba and Beulah Concepts brought in equipment into the quarry site without meeting with the community leadership or landowners.

“They also came in with civil defence personnel who provided security cover, alongside some dissident youths who threatened to shoot any indigenes who attempted to obstruct the operations,” he said.

He added that he reached out to the police command to prevent bloodshed in the community before the tragic incident occurred.

Also reacting, a community leader, Dr Gilbert Aro, condemned the clash and called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the officer’s death.

A representative of Hephzibah and Beulah who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the killing of the police officer but provided no further details.

The clash has heightened tension in Amaeze, where ownership and operational rights over the quarry site have remained contentious between the host community and quarry operators.