By Emma Amaize
Attacks on oil installations in Delta State
entered the third day, yesterday, as militants blew-up major crude oil
and gas pipelines to the Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, Tank Farm in
Warri South West Local Government Area of the state.
Blown up on
Friday night was the main crude line from Makaraba through Otunana and
Abiteye to Escravos while Olero to Escravos gas line was attacked in the
early hours of yesterday.
Earlier on Thursday, the Escravos –
Warri – Abuja – Lagos pipelines came under attack. The Itsekiri raised
the alarm, yesterday, that the attacks could metamorphose into another
Ijaw-Itsekiri war.
File...MilitantsFile…Militants
These acts of sabotage are coming at a time when global crude oil price continues its downward move.
THE military, yesterday, deployed army and naval personnel in the creeks of Delta State to contain the militants.
Our
source, who spoke from one of the Ijaw communities in Gbaramatu
Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area, at about 5.30 pm said,
“The situation is not clear yet, but there are gunboats everywhere. It
is a combined team of soldiers and navy people patrolling the creeks.
“Movement
is restricted. The military personnel are going about to show their
presence and scare the militants, who strike in the night and not in the
daytime. But, at least, their presence has shown that the military was
ready to confront them.”
The authorities, caught napping by the
resumption of hostilities four days ago, reportedly saw the danger of
allowing further bombings and mobilised to counter the militants.
After
bombing the Escravos-Warri-Abuja-Lagos pipelines at about 10.00 pm on
Thursday, the militants were emboldened to blow up Chevron Nigeria
Limited, CNL’s Utunana –Makaraba crude oil line at 10.30 pm on Friday
and proceeded to bomb Olero gas line in the early hours of yesterday.
Their
target it is believed is to cripple crude oil production and arm-twist
the Federal Government. Already, CNL, heavily hit by the Thursday and
Friday attacks, was considering shutting down operations, even as
workers have been restricted to their camps in the affected locations.
The Itsekiri fear
Chair,
Itsekiri Regional Development Council, IRDC, Chief Ayiri Emami,
expressed concern, yesterday, that with attacks targeted at oil
facilities in Itsekiri towns and villages, it might metamorphose into
another Ijaw/Itsekiri war.
He said those carrying out the attacks
were Ijaw militants known to the security agencies, state and federal
governments, and challenged them to rein in the gunmen.
Meanwhile,
ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, maintained,
yesterday, that he had no hands in the bombings. His media adviser, Paul
Bebenimibo, told Sunday Vanguard: “Tompolo has nothing to do with the
ongoing attacks.”
Emami, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard on phone,
said, “The situation right now is unpredictable. This was how the
Itsekiri and Ijaw crisis started in 2003 and 2007. Government and
security agencies know the person blowing up the pipelines and his boys,
they cannot say that that they do not know them. I do not see how the
entire local government area should be put on edge because of one person
and his selfish interests.”
He went on “We are concerned because
they have left their areas to bomb oil facilities in Itsekiri areas of
Dibi, Abiteye and Kpokpo and the next thing now; they want to bomb
Itsekiri villages. They started on Thursday night; government and
security agents are looking at them, so they continued again on Friday
night.
“Probably, they will continue again on Saturday night.
That is why we are calling on government to stop them because we know
their plan. They want to make this place ungovernable, but we will not
fold our arms and watch them.
“It is the same set of boys who
blew up the Escravos-Warri-Lagos-Abuja gas pipeline that they sent to
blow up Chevron pipelines. They have been holding nocturnal meetings on
where to bomb in the last few days.”
Last night, on industry
source told Sunday Vanguard that CNL and other oil companies in the
riverside areas of Delta State were on the verge of shutting operations
out of fear of the unknown.
‘Tompolo stepped on toes’
Also,
yesterday, the Warri Ijaw Peace Monitoring Group, WIPMG, Warri, Delta
State, said Ekpemupolo stepped on powerful toes while executing his
contract to protect gvernment oil installations and the forces have now
coalesced against him.
The group, in a statement by its chair,
Chief Patrick Bigha, condemning the bombing of crude oil and gas
pipelines in Warri in the last few days, said the involvement of All
Progressives Congress, APC chieftains in Bayelsa state, who are out to
spite Tompolo should not be ruled out.
It said: “The Warri Ijaw
Peace Monitoring Group wishes to condemn the renewed wanton destruction
of oil facilities in the Niger Delta region. We are truly disturbed with
this happening as the Nigerian economy is in a bad shape; therefore, we
are calling on those behind this act to cease hostilities immediately.
“We
are not happy over the incident as it look like a smear campaign
against the person of High Chief Government Ekpemupolo,because of his
position in the Bayelsa State governorship election as well as the issue
with the EFCC, which is a legal issue that will be appropriately
addressed.
“It is worthy of note that Tompolo will not embark on
such self destructive mission as one that fervently believes in the
Nigeria project, and has contributed to peace building and development
of Nigeria.”
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/return-of-n-delta-militancy-major-crude-oil-gas-pipelines-bombed/
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