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Nigeria: Youths Bomb Two Agip's Vessels in Delta
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Vanguard (Lagos)
14 April 2008
Posted to the web 14 April 2008
Emma Amaize & Jimitota Onoyume
SOME youths, Saturday night, bombed two offshore oil vessels belonging to the Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) at Beniboye in Burutu local government area of Delta State as a fallout of a disagreement between Ogulagha and Odimodi oil communities.
Three suspects have already been arrested in connection with the action.
The Delta State Waterways Security Committee (DWSC) was said to have activated its security machinery and detailed a group, led by a well-known Ijaw activist in the state, to fish out the bombers.
Vanguard learnt authoritatively that the three suspects were taken to the camp of a leading militant group in the state after their arrest for flouting the agreement reached with the state government not to attack oil installations or take hostages.
Ijaw activists in the state are keeping to the bargain with Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, whose three-point agenda are peace and security, human capital development and infrastrutural development.
A member of the DWSC had told Vanguard that the men who carried out the bombing would be fished out yesterday.
The Ijaw activist and his men were said to have moved into Ogulagha area in search of the men and were able to track them down because of the tremendous respect the activist enjoys in the state.
Information available to Vanguard indicated that the men had named their sponsor and the attack was not unconnected with the dissatisfaction of Ogulagha community with the handling of the dispute between it and Odimodi community on one hand and Agip on the other over the ownership of oil facilities.
Both communities opposed each other vehemently at their last meeting with the Delta State House of Assembly Committee on Environment, Oil and Gas and the NAOC, prompting the chairman of the committee, Omawumi Udoh, to express dismay at the inability of the two neighbouring communities to come to a compromise over oil spill at the Beniboye flow station, pointing out that her committee was concerned with environmental matters and not settlement of land disputes.
According to reports reaching Vanguard, loud explosions were heard at Beniboye area on Saturday evening and investigations showed that the offshore oil well heads/jackets of the Agip, offshore Beniboye coast went on fire.
Representative of the Odimodi community, Osteen Igbapike, had accused the NAOC of trying to pitch both communities against each other with the manner it was carrying out the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV).
JTF warns of plot to invade P-Harcourt
Meanwhile, the JTF has confirmed the snatching of three passenger boats by hoodlums on the Andoni waterways, saying this signified a plot to invade Port Harcourt.
But it vowed to abort the plot.
Spokesman for the JTF, Lieutenant-Col Sagi Musa, told Vanguard on phone that the JTF, on its part, had intensified its operations to nip any sinister plot in the bud, saying: "Experience like this in the past has been sign to invade the state.
Residents and passengers on the water ways are through this means put on red alert. They should report suspicious movements of items and persons to the JTF and other security operatives in the state.
We are aware that three passenger boats were snatched on the Andoni waterways. We are, however, not disturbed because we have put our men on the alert. Residents and passengers on the waterways should not hesitate to contact us when they sense any unusual movement in their surroundings."
The army, he said, would not want to zero on any of the groups including MEND of being behind the fresh plot to invade Rivers State and other parts of the region.
But those behind it, he said, were sternly warned to desist from the plot as the Nigerian Army would not hesitate to match fire for fire.
"We want to warn our brothers in the Niger Delta to be very careful as any attempt to test the might of the Nigerian Army and other security operatives in the region will not be taken lightly," he said.
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Confirms release of kidnapped 11-yr-old
Lt-Col Musa also confirmed the release of 11-year-old Chidi Nzerem who was taken hostage about a week ago in the state capital. He said he was dropped at the premises of his school, Brooklyn International along Airport Road in the early hours of yesterday. According to him, no ransom was paid.
In the process of abducting the boy, a police escort attached to the vehicle he was being driven in and the driver of the car were all killed. While his mother sustained bullet wounds and has since been flown abroad for medicare.
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