PENGASSAN demands justice for oil workers allegedly attacked by military

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has demanded a full and transparent investigation into the alleged brutal assault by military and security agents on oil and gas workers operating at the Oritsetimeyin Oil and Gas Rig.

PENGASSAN President and General Secretary, Festus Osifo, and Lumumba Okugbawa, in a statement demanding justice for the workers, said they would not sit idly while such human rights violations occur.

They said they would utilise all available avenues to ensure justice for the members and to prevent any future reoccurrence.

They called for immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for ordering and carrying out the brutal assault, stressing that the perpetrators must be held accountable for their actions under both national and international law.

They also demanded a guarantee of the safety and security of all oil and gas workers on the rigs and a commitment from the relevant authorities to uphold workers’ rights and engage in peaceful conflict resolution.

While they condemned the alleged brutal and excessive use of force by the military and other security agencies hired by Dutchford E&P, Selective Marine Services and its Labour Contractors against the oil and gas workers, they said the barbaric act negates the tenets of the Nigerian Constitution and all extant laws governing the operations in the nation’s oil and gas sector.

They noted: “It is on record that these companies are notorious for violating signed agreements reached with various parties, including the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), on payments and other entitlements due to their workers dating back to 2022.”

They warned that if the reports indicated that oil and gas workers are violently ejected from the rig any date soon, PENGASSAN would deploy every arsenal at its disposal to frustrate such moves.
“As this unconscionable act represents a grave violation of human rights and known labour conventions. The use of military actions against unarmed workers is completely unjustifiable and disproportionate because it is the Nigerian workers who have been subjugated to unfair workplace policies, including being paid meagre wages while working in a hazardous environment, that should be the complainant.”

“While we understand and commend the workers for their professional disposition to keep the oil rigs flowing, the response of deploying the military to violently remove them is unacceptable and demonstrates a complete disregard for human life and the rule of law. The use of such force against unarmed civilians engaged in legitimate work is abhorrent and cannot be tolerated.

“We call on all concerned citizens, human rights organisations, and international bodies to join us in condemning this violence and demanding accountability, as silence in the face of such brutality is complicity,” they said.