Avengers blows up another pipeline as FG considers action against militants

WARRI —THE Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, which
vowed on Monday to continue to obstruct all
avenues by President Muhammadu Buhari to
export crude oil because of his refusal to
address its demands, blew up the Qua Iboe 48-
inch oil crude oil export line belonging to Exxon
Mobil in Akwa Ibom State in defiance of him.
Que Iboe returned to operation after a month
long force majeure in June, buoyed by the now
aborted ceasefire between the Niger Delta
Avengers and government, but the militant group,
which claimed responsibility for the attack,
wondered why the International Oil Companies
deceive themselves with government’s false
sense of security.
Spokesperson of the group, self-styled Gen.
Murdoch Agbinibo, said: “At 7:30p.m., the Niger
Delta Avengers blew up ExxonMobil Qua Iboe
483 crude oil export pipeline. When will these
International Oil companies learn to listen, we
(Avengers) said no export.”
Qua Iboe which crude oil grade stood at a $0.90
per barrel premium had witnessed strong trade
interest since the release of its provisional
August programme on June 27.
Same day, Shell Petroleum Development
Company, SPDC, shut down the Trans Niger
Pipeline, one of the two major pipelines that
carries the Bonny Light crude grade for export
following an outflow in Gio, Ogoni land, Rivers
State.
The company had only last week resumed export
on the pipeline after almost two months of force
majeure, following the restoration of production
to Bonny Terminal.
Officials said the company was working on a
joint investigation into the leak on Trans Niger
Pipeline.
However, the militant group, which said it was
closely monitoring repairs on damaged pipelines,
attacked the Nembe 1, 2 and 3 Tedeba Brass
trunk lines in Bayelsa and Rivers states on June
8, after the company carried out repairs on
leaking Nembe Creek Trunk Line, NCTL.
It also bombed the Forcados 48-inch Crude
Export Terminal in Delta State afresh, last month,
because Shell flouted its order not to carry out
repairs of any sort on its installations damaged
by the militant group until government addressed
its demands.
Series of deliberate attacks on facilities of
Chevron Nigeria Limited and Nigeria Agip Oil
Company, by the militant group to stall export
had also hampered oil production by the
companies.
Vanguard learned that the gain of the temporal
ceasefire by militants, which saw an increase in
oil export, has disappeared with the recent
attacks.
The militant group, it will be recalled had said:
“Until President Buhari takes our demands
seriously and set up a genuine framework to
address the Niger Delta question, we will
continue to obstruct all avenues to export our
crude oil to develop his 97 per cent (95 per
cent). In fact, whenever we have any contact to
establish a genuine negotiation and dialogue, we
will not hesitate to let the world know that we
are in dialogue with the government and her
representatives.”
Military consider action against militants
The armed forces are reportedly considering the
next line of attack against the Avengers. The
Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Tukur Burutai, and
other security chiefs are not disposed to
dialogue with militants. They are supposedly
mobilizing for a combined fresh offensive by all
the relevant security agencies.

Niger Delta Militants Take Over Two LGAs In Cross River

A dreaded Niger Delta militant group has taken
over two local government areas in Cross River
State forcing people to flee for their lives.
Niger Delta militants armed to the teeth have
taken control of two local government areas in
Cross River State and displaced virtually every
civil authority in the area.
According to ThisDay, the group alleged to be
members of Bakassi Strike Force, had been
operating in the area for some time. But they
recently seized control of Bakassi and Akpabuyo
local government areas, displacing both civil and
traditional authorities in the councils.
This has forced the elected chairmen of the two
local governments to flee for their lives as many
others in the community had since fled for many
months now while the councillors hold their
legislative sittings in Calabar. The secretariats of
both local councils have also been deserted by
civil servants for fear of being kidnapped or
attacked by the militants.
As a result, the state governor, Professor Ben
Ayade, has appealed to President Muhammadu
Buhari to extend the activities of “Operation
Delta Safe”, a security taskforce protecting oil
installations in the Niger Delta, to Cross River
State. Ayade said his state should not to be
isolated in the battle to keep the Niger Delta
safe. He also promised to increase the firepower
of the state’s security taskforce, “Operation
Skolombo.”
Militancy has gripped Cross River State for the
past few months. And militants are being blamed
for an increasing wave of kidnapping, armed
robbery, and other criminal activities, especially,
in Calabar, the state capital.
But Bakassi and Akpabuyo local government
areas, which share maritime boundary with
Cameroon, recently became a lawless, anarchic
zone in which militants rule. It was discovered
that the militants collected rents and levies from
people doing business in the council areas,
which they termed “protection money”, a
situation that has made many people to flee.
The militants are said to have also rendered the
state judicial organs and the traditional
institutions in Akpabuyo and Bakassi local
governments impotent, as the militias now
handle matters that should otherwise be handled
by the conventional courts, village heads, clan
chiefs, and paramount rulers.
Speaking on the matter, Chairman of Bakassi
Local Government Area, Mrs. Edisua Usang Iso,
admitted that militants were operating in her
council area. She, however, denied that the
activities of the militants were affecting the
administration of the council. Iso said, though,
the council had lost substantial revenue to their
activities, the federal government should grant
amnesty to them and incorporate them into the
federal government’s amnesty programme for
Niger Delta militants.
However, Governor Ayade confirmed that the
militants have taken full occupation of some of
the local governments and vowed that the
militants will be dislodged from the area.
The governor said, “The three kingpins, we have
identified their homes, we have the coordinates of
their armoury, we have a clear picture of their
modus operandi and we are working on a massive
attack. I speak as the United States would do. They
let you know that they are coming for you and they
will come after you.
“We are coming after them. We know all the
militants who are now parading and taking full
occupation of Bakassi. We would free the people of
Bakassi. The people of Bakassi have seen enough
pain. Lands taken, oil wells taken, reduced to want
in spirit, body and economy, we cannot afford also
to create a perilous nightmare for the same
people.”

Niger Delta Avengers lambast Buhari’s aide

“We want Garba Shehu (Senior Special
Assistant to the president on Media and
Publicity) to go and get his record straight.
Niger Delta Avengers have not killed and
kidnapped oil workers, we are not into sea
piracy, and we have never killed Policemen.
The Buhari led Government knows the people
attacking soldiers and killing policemen. It’s
their sleeper’s agents that are doing it, so they
should stop tagging Niger Delta Avengers to
killing, kidnapping, ransacking of policemen,
soldiers and individuals in the region.
We the Niger Delta Avengers have not
negotiated with anyone. So we don’t know
where Mr Garba shehu and General Babagana
Munguno, the National Security Adviser are
getting their information from. If they have
been negotiating with any body it clearly
shows they had been negotiating with
fraudsters and their (national security agency)
created militant group.”
Shehu’s statement on Tuesday, July 5, had
claimed that the militant group had wreaked
havoc on the nation’s oil production in
recent times, throught their trade in killing
and kidnapping and asking oil companies in
the region to stop operating.
READ ALSO: Opinion: The plans Buhari has
for Niger Delta
Part of the statement reads: “It is still
unclear what they want. From the diverse, if
vague and inchoate voices of the militants,
some say they want to take control of the oil
resources in the region. Sometimes when the
rhetoric gets uglier, they call for the breakup
of Nigeria as a country!”
In another development, Twitter has taken
serious action against the Niger Delta
Avengers account by suspending its
account.
The account of the militant group was
suspended on Monday, July 4. The group has
also used its social media account to
broadcast warnings and threats against the
federal government and oil companies.