The Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, has rejected Asari Dokubo’s allegation that he receives ₦2.7 trillion annually from pipeline surveillance contracts, challenging him to produce documentary evidence.

The monarch’s sole representative and liaison to NNPC Limited and its joint venture partners issued the rebuttal in a statement dated Tuesday, October 6, 2026.

The statement said the allegation required a public response because of its implications for the monarch’s reputation and the importance of pipeline surveillance to Nigeria.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the allegation that the Olu of Warri receives ₦2.7 trillion annually from pipeline surveillance contracts is categorically rejected,” it stated.

“We challenge Mr. Dokubo to produce the documentary evidence upon which this extraordinary claim is based.”

The representative criticised Dokubo’s approach to public debate, arguing that forceful statements and public attention were no substitute for evidence.

“His language is frequently categorical, provocative and insufficiently restrained. That style may command attention, but attention should not be confused with credibility, and forcefulness should not be mistaken for evidence,” the statement read.

It urged public figures to distinguish between allegations, inferences and established facts when discussing pipeline contracts and resource control in the Niger Delta.

According to the statement, unguarded claims involving the Olu of Warri, Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, Tompolo and other parties risked deepening suspicion and reviving old grievances.

The representative warned that such assertions also risked encouraging people to interpret disagreements through an ethnic lens, with consequences beyond the immediate dispute.

The statement described Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure as a critical national asset, noting that pipeline security affected crude oil production, government revenue, foreign exchange earnings and economic stability.

“There is another dimension that should not be overlooked: Pipeline surveillance contracts in Nigeria are not ordinary commercial arrangements,” it stated.

The representative said the award and execution of the contracts deserved public scrutiny, including questions about their beneficiaries, award procedures, performance and contribution to the national interest.

“This is precisely why the debate should not be reduced to who is louder, more influential or more militant,” the statement added.

Pipeline surveillance contracts have drawn competing reactions for years. In 2022, The Guardian reported that NNPC defended its engagement of private surveillance contractors, with its then chief executive, Mele Kyari, explaining that the company dealt with corporate entities rather than individuals.

The newspaper also reported in December 2022 that a House of Representatives delegation backed the partnership between NNPC and Tantita Security Services, citing improvements observed during an oversight visit to oil facilities in the Niger Delta.

However, demands for broader participation persisted. An October 2023 Guardian report documented calls by former agitators for the surveillance contract to be decentralised to accommodate more participants across oil-producing communities.

In June 2025, protesters under the Warri Indigenous People Movement demanded greater involvement of Itsekiri host communities in pipeline surveillance contracts and called for a transparent award process. (The Guardian)