•Militants blow up Agip’s pipeline
The Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited, the Nigerian subsidiary of Dutch oil giant, Royal Dutch Shell, on Friday confirmed Niger Delta Avengers’ claims that a major damage was done to its oil installations in Delta State in the early hours of Friday, saying the attack had forced it to shut down crude exports indefinitely.
The statement corrobo-rates earlier statements by the Niger Delta Avengers, a new militant group that has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on oil installations, in renewed hostilities across the oil-rich region.
The Avengers had shortly after 5 a.m. on Tuesday announced the bombing of a 48’’ export pipeline owned by Shell in the Forcados on Twitter. “At 3:00 a.m. today (Friday), @Niger Delta Avengers blow (sic) up the SPDC forcados 48 export line. We warned SPDC not to go ahead with repair works but they refuse,” the group tweeted.
Responding to news of the attack, Shell’s spokesman, Bamidele Odugbesan, said the incident happened between a shoreline and the Forcados Export Terminal which impacted seriously on its export capabilities.
“The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, operator of the SPDC JV, has confirmed signs of a leak on the 48 inch Forcados export pipeline at a location between shoreline and the Forcados terminal in the western Niger Delta, coming on the heels of a reported attack on the pipeline in the early hours of Friday, June 3,” the statement said.
Mr. Odugbesan said the company was assessing the impact of the damage and had “mobilised appropriate oil spill response measures”.
“We are yet to fully evaluate the potential impact and damage to the pipeline resulting from this latest incident. We have however mobilised appropriate oil spill response measures and will be conducting a joint investigation visit to the leak site with relevant stakeholders.
“We are currently focused on securing the pipeline to protect the environment. Given this latest incident and the wider security situation in the Niger Delta, we are unable to determine probable timing of resumption of exports from the Forcados terminal,” Mr. Odugbesan said.
Shell Nigeria is “the operator of the export line on behalf of the joint venture partners comprising the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC (55%), SPDC (30%), Total E&P Nigeria Ltd (10%) and Nigerian Agip Oil Company (5%),” the statement said. The latest damage to Shell installations followed a series of bombings that rocked Chevron, Agip, and NNPC oil and gas installations across the Niger Delta in the last few days, including other Shell- operated facilities.
On Thursday night, the group made a similar claim on its Twitter account, saying it blew up “Ogboinbiri to Tebidaba and Clough Creek to Tebidaba crude oil pipelines in Bayelsa State,” as part of its campaign to bring Nigeria’s oil production output to “zero”. On Wednesday, the Avengers said it was responsible for the destruction of Chevron oil wells RMP 23 and RMP 24, and mocked Nigeria’s military for being only “good in harassing innocent civivilians.”
Nigerian military on Wednesday denied the militants’ claims that it had become helpless in the circumstance, saying it would not be negligent in its obligations to Nigerians. “The Defence Headquarters wishes to emphasize that the Nigerian Armed Forces will not relent in their efforts to flush out economic saboteurs masquerading under whatever guise to perpetuate evils in the Niger Delta,” Rabe Abubakar, the Acting Director of Defence Information, said in a statement.”
Similarly, the Niger Delta Avengers Friday morning said it has destroyed the Obi Obi Brass Trunk line belonging to Agip ENI. It is Agip’s Major Crude oil Line in Bayelsa State.
In a twitter message the calamitous group said it has cut off the line in a bomb attack.
The group also warned foreign oil companies against continuing their operations in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has called on Niger-Delta militants to embrace dialogue as the blowing up of oil facilities is negatively affecting the nation’s economy.
In a statement by Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant to the Governor, Electronic Media the Governor also accused Nigerian Agip Oil Company of being responsible for some of the conflicts in the area, stating that should Agip continue to act against the security of the state, the state government will revoke the certificate of occupancy of the oil company.
The governor also stated that the destruction of oil installations also damage the environment which will negatively impact host communities.
He spoke at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday when he received the Ogba, Ndoni, Egbema Local Area (ONELGA ) Youths Consultative Council (OYCC). He said that should the oil production continue to drop, the nation will face crisis, hence the need for the restoration of peace through negotiation and dialogue.
He said: “If the oil production continues to drop, this country will be in crisis. Blowing up oil facilities also has negative effect on our environment. There is need for the dialogue to go on. I believe in one united Nigeria and it is in our interest to have peace for development”.
Wike added that the Niger Delta State Governors should be involved in the process for the award of pipeline contracts for the identification of clean groups without links to cultists. He commended the OYCC for promoting peace in ONELGA, which is the highest oil producing local government in the country.
The governor assured the people of ONELGA that his administration will execute more development projects in the area. He added that the people also benefit from the entrepreneurial loan scheme of his administration for small businesses.
Earlier, President of OYCC, Mr. Kingsley Ogumike praised Wike for executing developmental projects in the area and appointing indigenes of the area into key positions. They appealed to the governor to always invest in the security of the local government area. He assured the governor of the support of the youths in the area.