The Joint Task Force (JTF) on the Niger-Delta has placed its troops in Delta and Bayelsa states on the alert following intelligence reports that militants are planning fresh attack on the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, known as the Bonga Oil Field and other oil installations in the two states.

Commander of the JTF, Brigadier-General Nanven Rimtip confirmed to Vanguard that he had given clear orders to his men on what to do to protect the oil facilities in the two states.

Meanwhile, a group in Bayelsa State, known as the Pennington-Dodo-Ramos Salvation Front (Pendora) gave the Chevron-Texaco Oil Nigeria Limited and the Shell Petroleum Development Company a 14-day ultimatum to sign Memorandum of Understanding with their Pendora host communities of Ezetu, Ekeni, Bilabiri, Amatu, Bisangbene, Letugbene, Orobiri, Azambiri, Ogbeintu and Agge, all in the Southern Ijaw local government area of the state or it would partner with freedom fighters to carry out "suicidal" repeat attack on the Bonga, Agbami and other oil fields operated by the companies.

Some journalists who were in Delta State under the auspices of the Environmental Rights Action (ERA) on Tuesday to inspect the gas flaring by the SPDC at its Otorogun Gas Plant in Ughelli area were arrested by security agents at the behest of the company for allegedly entering the place without permission.

They were, however, released on the directive of Brigadier-General Rimtip after several hours in detention by SPDC officials when information got to him that those that were arrested were journalists and not militants.

Rimtip said it was important that written permission be obtained by environmental groups and journalists before undertaken trips to such sensitive areas because of the security situation in the region, but, pointed out that human rights groups, journalists and Non Governmental Organisations would not be prevented from doing their jobs, rather, they and the JTF would form a synergy since they were all working for peace in the region.

The journalists and officials of ERA met with Rimtip in his office at the JTF headquarters in Effurun, yesterday morning before they departed with the Commander directing the video camera of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Benin news crew that was ceased should be released.

Nevertheless, the publicity secretary of the Pennington-Dodo-Ramos Salvation Front (Pendora), Comrade Perekunakuna Braun in a statement regretted the planned violence but said the patience exhibited over the years by the aforementioned host communities had been to their peril.

Calling on the concerned oil companies to open discussions with their host communities under the watch of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), he said that despite the claim and counter claim that the Bonga Oil Field is in the deep offshore of Lagos and Bayelsa states following attack on the facility by the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND) freedom fighters, "the fact is that Pendora communities are the hosts that must be recognized for peace to reign."

"It is so sad and regrettable to note that about 105 Nigerians were (recently) sent to the Gulf of Mexico to acquire requisite skills to work on board the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel stationed in Bonga field and are now currently on board the FPSO to the exclusion of the uncountable unemployed youths from the (host) communities that are roaming about in the streets of Yenagoa and Warri," the statement lamented.

The group, which commended and endorsed 30 -day ultimatum by MEND's General Boyloaf's calling on the Bayelsa and Rivers State Governors to set up oil commissions added that it was necessary for oil and gas producing communities to do good service to the memory of Isaac Adaka Boro and Ken Saro-Wiwa by uniting in moral support of freedom fighters to confront the oil companies which it described as "the real enemies."