On 6th July, 2024 the President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Professor Benjamin Okaba during an interview with Vanguard while reacting to the recent statement of the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Seriake Dickson that the prominent people behind the crude oil theft were not from the Niger Delta region of the country, but were based in Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the world, emphasized that the President of Nigeria, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu must go after whoever was behind oil theft in the Niger Delta, and he must deal with whoever was sabotaging the nation’s economy through oil theft.
According to Vanguard, the President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Professor Benjamin Okaba said "Oil theft is a big commercial business that involves billions of naira to buy vessels and barges. How can the poor village boys afford the money to get involved in such a capital-intensive business? We have called for apologies to the youths of the Ijaw ethnic extraction of the Niger Delta region. The accusation is misplaced. Go after the big boys and apologize to the Ijaw youths. The government must take responsibility. And in taking responsibility, the president must go after whoever is behind oil theft in the Niger Delta. Taking responsibility means dealing with whoever is sabotaging the nation’s economy through oil theft without caring whose ox is gored."
Professor Benjamin Okaba added that the reason why the Federal Government failed to apprehend the people responsible for oil theft in the country was that the leaders were benefiting from the people behind oil theft. He also added that the people sabotaging the nation’s economy through oil theft were known by the Government but they could not be prosecuted.