The Bayelsa Police Command has warned blue economy saboteurs to avoid Bayelsa, saying it would use every legal means to ensure Nigeria’s economic interest was protected.

The Commissioner of Police (CP) in the state, Francis Alonyenu, said this on Sunday in Yenagoa during an interview with journalists.

Mr Alonyenu told journalists that the command was poised to ensure peace and order in the state as a major player in Nigeria’s blue economy.

He said that with its rich maritime, petroleum, and gas economic value, the Nigeria Police Force would ensure that these assets were properly harnessed for the good of the people.

The CP said to ensure effective policing of the state and its maritime environment, the command had ensured that the crime rate was reduced to the barest minimum through the use of surveillance drones.

Mr Alonyenu said this had given individuals and corporate entities the liberty to go about their normal businesses unmolested.

He said the success recorded by the command could be partly attributed to crime mapping, which enabled it to understand, for instance, the motivation behind attacks on pipelines and how to address the challenge.

Mr Alonyenu said having contained the activities of economic saboteurs on Bayelsa’s waters, the command was carrying out clearance in the area and assured its determination to maintain the status quo.

Bayelsa is one of the leading oil-producing states in the country, with a sophisticated network of pipelines both on the sea and land.

Nigeria loses an estimated 300,000 barrels of crude oil daily to oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other forms of criminality.

The menace has culminated in revenue losses estimated at N1.29 trillion annually, said Abbas Tajudeen, speaker of the House of Representatives.

(NAN)