By Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

Leaders of Okarki, a boundary community between Rivers and Bayelsa states, have condemned reports linking the community with violence and illegal oil bunkering activities.

The community, situated in Ahoada-West Local Government Area of Rivers State, also dismissed claims in some quarters that its regent, Awanga Okubo, was involved in the illegal business.

Reports, penultimate week, had claimed that some Okarki youths attacked officials of the state branch of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Federal Task Force on Pipeline Vandalism during an inspection of illegal oil bunkering sites in the area.

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The state IPMAN task force chairman, Mr. Victor Agbutufie, was quoted as saying: “We were in the community for inspection and identification of major bunkering sites when the thugs attacked us, during which some members of the federal task force sustained various degrees of injury, and were forced to leave the community.”

But in a statement by Okubo at the weekend, the community denied the claim that its youths attacked IPMAN officials.

The statement reads: “There is no crude oil or gas pipeline passing through our community for there to be any vandalism. Neither the regent nor any of the chiefs is involved in any such illicit deals as alleged.

“The caretaker chief of the community, members of the cabinet and the people of Okarki remain clean and responsible.

“The allegations were only an advanced ploy to tarnish the community’s image and bring security personnel to raid the community and create problems.”