RETURN OF MILITANCY?

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.

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.”

Credit-
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/return-of-n-delta-militancy-major-crude-oil-gas-pipelines-bombed/