Niger Delta Avengers claim attack on Nembe pipeline

Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) have claimed an attack on Nembe Creek Trunk Line pipeline in Bayelsa State. The pipeline is operated by Agip, Oando and Shell.

The militant group said on Tuesday that the attack was carried out as a response to ‘Operation Sharkbite’ recently launched by the Nigerian Navy in the Niger Delta to curb piracy and enhance the security of critical oil facilities in the region.

“At about 11.45pm November 15, 2016, our Elite Strike Team 03 struck Nembe 1, 2 and 3 truck line operated by Agip, Oando and Shell with supply capacity of 300,000 barrel per day to Bonny export terminal in Bayelsa State,” Niger Delta Avengers’ spokesman Mudoch Agbinibo said in a statement.

Agbinibo insisted that ‘Operation Sharkbite’ was an affront to the people of the region, claiming the operation was instigated by a few politicians who wanted to undermine the effort of “the Nigerian state to addressing the legitimate demands of the people of the Niger Delta.”

https://t.co/JzUuKBkalp NIGER DELTA AVENGERS BOMB TRUCK LINE.

— Mudoch Agbinibo (@AgbiniboND) November 15, 2016

According to Agbinibo, ‘Operation Sharkbite’ “a conspiracy to bloat the accounts of some security contractors and conflict merchants within the party structure of the APC.”

The group, which in August said it would halt hostilities to pursue talks with the government, said on Sunday it had resumed attacks because of the continued presence of the army in the region. Earlier this month, the president met local community leader to hear their grievances.

The NDA, which wants more energy wealth to go to the swampland region which is the source of most of Nigeria’s oil, said on its website its strike team attacked the Nembe 1, 2 and 3 branches of the pipeline.

But Agbinibo said his group was interested in a genuine peace deal. “We want the peace with honour,” he said. “We don’t want the Peace of Our Time.”