Niger Delta Avengers want to sell oil directly to countries, bomb Bayelsa pipeline
Members of a militant group in the Niger Delta
The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) yesterday said it wants to sell crude oil directly to countries and urged such countries not to buy crude oil again from Nigeria, saying the region producing the oil was being neglected.
The militant group, which rejected overtures from the federal government for dialogue, with a view to ending the destruction of pipelines, blamed government for the attack through its Twitter handle.
Less than 24 hours after it blew up two major oil wells in Dibi, Warri, Delta State, the group yesterday morning bombed yet another crude oil pipeline in Obi Obi Brass Trunkline belonging to Agip/ENI in Bayelsa State around 3:00am, which sparked fire and sent thick smoke into the atmosphere.
The Avengers had previously warned Agip not to repair a pipeline in Bayelsa State, which it had earlier bombed.
The latest attack, which was described as massive, was said to have been carried out in spite of the heavy presence of the military and their gunboats in Brass Council, which also hosts the multi-million-naira Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) project.
The attack also came despite measures put up by security outfits in charge of safeguarding oil facilities in the region, following intelligence report that the state would be the group’s next port of call.
It was gathered on Thursday that armed patrols were mounted across major waterways in the state with Naval and Army gunboats to forestall the activities of the group.
In Brass, where Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) has the bulk of its operations and the LNG project is located, security was said to have been beefed up, with soldiers deployed to protect the facilities.
But despite these measures, the militants, who had earlier vowed to reduce the country’s oil production to zero, were said to have attacked the trunkline with dynamites.
Avengers, in a Twitter post, commended the international community for allegedly halting crude oil business transactions with Nigeria.
It said: “At 3: 00am of Friday (yesterday) NDAvengers blew up the Obi Obi Brass Trunk Line belonging to Agip ENI. It is Agip’s major crude oil line in Bayelsa State.
“It is good as foreign refineries stopped buying Nigerian oil, because the Nigerian State has been robbing the Niger Delta of her oil and gas.
“We will inform the international community when we are open for business.”
While the military components of the Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, remained silent on the incessant attacks on oil facilities, the state Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Desmond Agu, confirmed the latest attack.
He said the corps had started meeting with traditional rulers in various coastal communities as part of efforts to resolve the crisis in the state.
On the Avengers’ frequent bombing and refusal to dialogue with government, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), the umbrella body of Ijaw youths worldwide, called on government to engage credible leaders from the region for the proposed dialogue to achieve the desired result.
IYC spokesman, Eric Omare, while reacting to a breach of ceasefire by the militants, said the continued sabotage, while talks was being proposed ,was an indication of lack of confidence in the representatives of the region by the militants.
Omare noted that politicisation of the process was partly responsible for the non-compliance to the ceasefire by the militants.
He explained that government’s ceasefire offer was part of the confidence-building measures, but advised government to take further steps by consulting with credible leaders from the region.
He said: “The problem with the dialogue process is lack of proper confidence building and politicisation of the process. Government seems to be engaging the wrong people.
“We strongly advise the government to set politics aside and engage the real people, especially those that can reach the leadership of the NDA.”
Meanwhile, a new militant group, which brands itself the Ultimate Warriors of Niger Delta (UWND), has threatened to continue vandalism of pipelines in the region if their demands of restructuring the oil bloc allocations are not met. UWND has asked the government
to give 60 per cent oil blocs to people from the region.
The group also demanded that academic activities at the Federal Maritime University resume immediately.
It also wants the federal government to allow the $16 billion export processing zone, otherwise called Delta Gas City project, to begin operations in earnest.
It spokesperson, Sibiri Taiowoh, in a statement said if the government truly wants peace in the region, it should award 60 per cent oil bloc to indigenous people from the region as its primary demand for a ceasefire.
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26 Comments
IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO PROTECT ALL THE LENGTH AND BREATH OF THE EXTENSIVE OIL PIPELINES IN NIGER DELTA, SO NIGERIA NEEDS TO BE RESTRUCTURED, OTHERWISE WE WILL KEEP GOING ON AND ON IN A CIRCLE
Nope! Restructuring will not guarantee GOOD GOVERNANCE, as the elites in all the regions are the same! And we have that all across the country; north, east, west n south! Bayelsa a few years ago had a budget equal to some countries, but still yet, nothing is on ground!
I will love the oil industry to shut down; but for my own personal reasons! Only then will we truly muster enough courage to truly diversify our economy! And mind u; Governors from North, West, East n South can’t pay salaries, no region is left out; Meaning, all of em are guilty of being non productive, and CAN’T survive immediately without oil rents. But, necessity is the mother of all inventions, so for that; they should hurriedly stop the oil from flowing so that we can TRULY move ahead as a Nation!!!
Nigeria is making steady progress….its just that we are too much in a hurry…if you are made the president of Nigeria what would you achieve with a budget of N6.01 trillion (about $30 billion @ N200 to 1$). Nigeria should be making a budget of over N50 trillion………albeit you guys want to perform miracle with just N6.01 trillion… the solution is for govt to generate more funds thru tax, tax, and more tax!
Nigeria is making steady progress???
I must have missed something, especially the last 50 years!!!
Nigeria’s restructuring is an idea whose time has come. That is the only way out of this quagmire. Buhari has ended up created more problems for his administration than he can manage. He elevated vengeance above governance and ethnicity and religion above Nigeria. Let’s see how it ends.
This present Govt didn’t create the infrastructural deficit that exist in the Country presently! And that is simply Nigerias problem right NOW!
And… as u said, let’s see how it ends! But, I’m willing to bet U; all those clamouring for their stomachs and hiding behind ethnic n religious jingoism; will definitely lose!!! That’s a bet, I’m willing to take with ANY ONE!!!
Restructuring is unavoidable. It will make people of a region hold their own accountable. This thing that if Mohammed steal money and John blows alarm then all mohammeds and Isas and Alis begin to blow hot and cold on John or if Doglas Akin embezzled money and Obi blow alarm, it becomes a civil war on Obi and his brothers Nkem & co can only stop when we give THESAME to every zone .
If no one can hold his Governor accountable NOW! I don’t see the sense that, you will hold Him accountable after… if u can’t hold anyone accountable for small; u won’t hold him accountable for much!
Bayelsa had a budget a few years back more than Rwanda’s, and don’t tell me Yenagoa is close to Kigali in terms of infrastructure??
That’s my honest take!
Oil is not responsible for the lack of diversification, the lack of idea is responsible for the lack of diversification. You do not give what you do not have. The absense of oil will only increase poverty for the non-oil producing states. You do not have to be poor before you start to think!
But, u have to agree with the saying… ‘necessity is the mother of all inventions’!!!
And the absence of oil won’t only affect non-oil producing states! Right now, even oil producing states can’t pay salaries! And it’s simply because of a lack of fiscal discipline! FGN tied the noose on leakages at the Federal level to meet the new reality of crash in cash from oil rents, but what did the states do, continue with an expenditure pattern that didn’t match real income. And people are surprised they can’t pay salaries. In truth, they all expect oil rents to come back high easily. Till the reality that oil rents are not readily available sets in (for oil producing states inclusive), our ELITES won’t take the bull by the horn to really diversify and develop our local economy!
The saying, ‘necessity is the mother of all inventions’ does not apply to every one or race. You should be careful with some of those quotations otherwise you will assume one shoe size fits all. This is 2016. Have we not suffered enough in Sub-Saharan African? How much suffering do we have to endure before necessity attracts inventions? Wake up!
The Niger delta area is being neglected, a lot of injustices in Nigeria among our political elites from the time oil was discovered. I worked in Oliobiri, whole area is underdeveloped.I truly support the cause of the Niger delta Avengers
What have they done with all the funds that were pumped into the region through Oil Minerals Producing Area Development Commission (OMPADEC), DFRRI, Ministry Of Niger Delta and more recently Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC) among other agencies, aside the derivation funds been paid to our governors. Remember also that the heads of all this agencies where from the Niger Delta region.
Niger Delta Terrorists yesterday said it wants to sell crude oil directly to countries! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaa…., my God, send brain from heaven.
its time for nigeria government to take action delay is dangerous this people and those who are sponsor them dont mean well for nigeria but i pity the ijaw people who did not think with there brain that allow igbos who always fight for there selfish interest to push them to hole and turn back i think they lack the history of ojukwu plan against there father during the civil war
These Avengers must definitely be operating under the influence. If for some reason they have their way and are now to sell directly to the world then the government can mount a blockade in the water ways to nip that in the bud and besides not many sane countries will touch that. In all honesty, what they are doing now will cause all the sympathy people have for them to evaporate and military action will be deemed justified. They can not win this war if they cause it to start and they will only succeed in causing unnecessary human suffering and carnage in their region. This is very much unacceptable as many citizens in their own region do not subscribe to this madness. Time to dialogue is now.
Looks like they are already winning.
That is an illussion
Haha, really?
Kasala don burst. Dialogue in sincerity of heart is the only way out.
Let the government of Nigeria begin to look at Federalism as a way of solving this problem. Instead of giving allocations to the states at piece-meal measure, let each state have real grip of their resources and pay tax to the federal government. The Niger Delta Areas need real attention. Now what about the oil in Sokoto? What of the tin in Plateau? There are other avenues to look into
Good work my brothers, the Avengers. The Yorubas do not need permission to sell cacao to prospective buyers neither do the Hausas/Fulanis need permission to sell groundnuts to buyers. We the people of the Niger-delta do not need permission to sell our oil. It is strange that Yorubas and Hausas/Foolanis are more concerned about the environment in the Niger-delta than the plight of their destitude populace, this is sinister ploy, cheap and understood by all in the Niger-delta and will not fly. We are smarter than them. We are taking complete control of our land and sea borders.
Dull Brain. Yorubas planted their cocoa, Hausa planted their groundnuts, Na ur papa plant d oil abi? Olodo…
God has planted our oil. You parasites should get out!
In the 6years of Jonathan ruling Nigeria what did it achieve for the Niger delta? Neglect my foot!
The Avengers are doing good, and I hope Nigeria is crippled, enough of Yoruba and Hausa criminality in that region. Everybody should remain on their own and feed themselves. No one believes or accepts one Nigeria. Nigeria is a fraud to defraud the resources of our region and to spoon-feed lazy morons in South-West and Terrorist Northern Muslims.
We will review and take appropriate action.