Ahamefula Ogbu and Juliana Taiwo
30 June 2009
Enugu State will serve as the co-ordinating centre for disarmament and the demobilisation of militants, THISDAY has learnt.
But Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) yesterday clarified its decision to suspend operations in Western Niger Delta, saying it was not as a result of increasing attacks by militants - who hit one of its facilities again yesterday.
The choice of 82 Division of the Nigerian Army as the centre to receive arms and ammunition from repentant militants has been approved by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.
Confirming this to THISDAY yesterday, the Media Coordinator of the Committee, Dr. Timiebi Koripamo-Agary, said Enugu was chosen because of the presidential directive that a neutral state outside the Niger Delta states be used as the co-ordinating centre.
She said: "We are out in the field to inspect the centres that have been identified by the state governors for upgrading where necessary to ensure they meet the United Nations (UN) standards on disarmament and demobilisation.
"We just arrived from Enugu where we have inspected the co-ordinating centre and we are now in Port Harcourt to look at the location that will serve as collection and integration centres with adequate facilities in line with UN standards.
"The UN standards include a recreational centre, a functional catering centre, adequate accommodation (hostel) complete with necessary facilities like water, electricity. The Rivers State Government has identified a place we have here to ensure the standard meets the directives of Mr. President.
"Hopefully by weekend, all the centres in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Ondo would have been identified and then upgrading will start. If none exists, the directive from Mr. President is that new ones should be built. You have to recognise that these boys are coming from the creeks where these things are lacking and as part of Mr. President's effort in convincing them how serious his administration is, we are going to rehabilitate them."
Asked what the repentant militants are expected to do at the centre, Koripamo-Agary said: "The collection centre is where they will give up arms be documented their names, ages, etc will be recorded. We'll then determine what they would like to do after disarmament.
"The committee's job right now is to inspect the identified centres and ensure they are adequate in terms of infrastructure and note where upgrade is needed to ensure they are up to the stipulated standards of the UN."
Yar'Adua had last Thursday proposed 60 days of "amnesty and unconditional pardon" for militants in the Niger Delta in an effort to end the crisis in the region which has literally paralysed the oil sector.
Attacks on foreign oil companies in the region, which include Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil and Chevron, have cut Nigeria's oil output to less than two-thirds of its capacity of three million barrels a day over the past three years.
Screening of gunmen and collecting of weapons will begin on August 6 at 15 amnesty camps.
Yesterday, Shell said its decision to suspend operations in Western Niger Delta was not as a result of increasing attacks by militants.
THISDAY quoted a top source yesterday, who attributed the oil giant's decision to withdraw its staff and contractors from the Western Niger Delta, on five major attacks it suffered in the area between January 7 and June 17, 2009.
But in a statement yesterday, the company said it believed in the future of Nigeria and was committed to the country "for the long term".
"We have not embarked on a general evacuation of staff from the Niger Delta as a result of the security situation," it said, maintaining that it had evacuated only some "non-essential staff" from some key facilities in Western Delta "in order to ensure their safety".
Commenting on the security situation in its areas of operation in the Niger Delta, the company admitted that "SPDC's operations in Nigeria and those of other international companies continue to be impacted by the security situation in the Niger Delta. Whilst good progress is being made in some parts of our operations, the security situation including the recent attacks in the Western Niger Delta has a substantial impact on the people, environment, assets and production.
"We are very concerned about the possible environmental damage from oil spills following the attacks on our installations, and share the frustrations of the local communities and all other stakeholders whose lives have been disrupted by these incidents. We will do everything in our power to mitigate the impact this is having as soon as possible and as the security situation allows."
The company said: "Regrettably, with increasing attacks in the field, it is unsafe for staff and contractor personnel to maintain production and also implement community development projects. It is obvious that community development projects cannot continue in this atmosphere. This does not lessen our commitment to these projects, but we will not put our staff and contractors at unnecessary risk."
SPDC added that it would continue to assess the security situation and take necessary steps to ensure the safety of staff and contractors.
But the high gear of amnesty talks has not deterred attacks on the region as the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) yesterday said it had carried out further attacks on Shell's facilities at Forcados, Delta State.
Shell spokesman, Mr. Precious Okolobo, confirmed the attack which he said took place at the cluster at their Estuary field in the Western swamps.
He said and they had already shut in to control damage to the environment.
Spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the region, Col. Rabe Abubakar, denied claims by MEND that it killed Nigerian soldiers, adding that the attack was on a remote and unmanned pipeline, thereby foreclosing the death of any soldier.
Spokesman of MEND, Gbomo Jomo, said: "Hurricane Piper Alpha has struck at the Shell Forcados off-shore platform in Delta State today, Monday, June 29, 2009 at about 0330 Hrs. Cluster 11 and 30 are currently on fire after a massive explosion.
"A military gunboat patrol on noticing the fire stumbled upon heavily armed fighters and the confrontation resulted in the sinking of the gunboat with all the occupants numbering between 20-23 soldiers.
"We have made it clear that patrols must not open fire at us as our target is the oil infrastructure. This unheeded warning resulted in the death of these soldiers."
He described as impostors those who introduced themselves at news conferences claiming to be MEND commanders such as "Boyloaf" and "Farah Dagogo", adding that they were ready to be part of the amnesty.
Jomo said the reason they were sceptical over the amnesty offer was that the government was already speaking from both sides of the mouth on the release of Henry Okah, adding that it was unbelievable that a sovereign state like Nigeria would consult another country before it could free its own citizen inside the country.
"MEND wishes to state that Mr. Innocent Iboroma and Mr. Cletus Arerebo are not representatives of Farah Dagogo and Boyloaf at high level talks. Therefore, the said meeting held in Port Harcourt between them and the Minister of Internal Affairs is a fraud.
"The sincerity of the government of Nigeria came into question again on Friday, June 26, 2009 after the Interior Minister, General Godwin Abbe (rtd), informed the nation that the release of a sick Henry Okah would now depend on consultations with the dictators and despots ruling Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
"The minister also lied when he said Okah travelled to Equatorial Guinea. The fact is that Mr. Henry Okah has never set foot in that country; not even as an airport transit passenger," he claimed.
As proof, Jomo said that Edward Atatah who was arrested with Okah had long been freed without the conditions that Abe was "foisting" on the release of Okah.
The MEND spokesman said if the time became ripe for them to negotiate, they would do so as a group and not individual members of the group, a reason he claimed that the negotiation by some representatives was a "fraud".
Meanwhile, Yar'Adua has directed the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Amnesty and Disarmament of Militants in the Niger Delta and the Minister of Interior, Gen. Godwin Abbe, to immediately arrange a meeting with detained leader of the MEND, Okah, and formally offer him the amnesty.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, disclosed this last night to State House Correspondents.
He said because the amnesty was voluntary and could not be done by proxy, it was necessary for Okah's acceptance of it and its terms to be obtained before government could proceed with the next line of action as far as the issue was concerned.
Adeniyi explained that the diplomatic side of the Okah's matter would be tidied up as soon as his acceptance of the amnesty offer was obtained, pointing out that government was expected to finish with that in a couple of days.
Some militant groups had expressed reservation over the Federal Government's amnesty offer, describing as a Greek gift, and that release of Okah had conditions attached to it.
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Here we go again. While the South Eastern States are over looked by the Federal Government for locating major Federal presence but have been chosen for dumping of guns and bombs seized from the so called Militants.
It is unfortunate that the Governor of Enugu State did not think through this before accepting the offer. Because of porosity of security in Nigeria, very soon Enugu would be the next capital of militancy and Kidnapping. The state would be infested with guns and bombs this time to be use against innocent citizens in Igbolnad by a new breed of gangsters.
How come the President did not choose Sokoto, Kano, Jos, or Kaduna? Guns and bombs are not what the South Eastern states need they need jobs, good roads, good healthcare centers security ETC. Governor Chime, please tell Mr. President Thanks but No thanks.