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WORLD> Africa
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Nigeria militants threaten broader delta 'oil war'
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-09-18 09:32 MEND, which says it is fighting for more local control of the impoverished region's oil wealth, attacked Shell's Orubiri flow station and a crude oil pipeline at Rumuekpe in Rivers state late Tuesday and early Wednesday. "It is feared the (Orubiri) facility may have caught fire due to intense, sporadic gunshots and massive dynamite and bomb explosions," said Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, spokesman for the military task force in Rivers state. Musa said no soldiers were killed in the attack, which involved an assault by eight gunboats. Militants said their next targets would be major offshore oilfields. "Soldiers and oil workers are advised to abandon all oil facilities including the offshore rigs of Bonga and Agbami as we want to minimise casualties," MEND said. MEND launched its most daring strike in June against Shell's $3.6 billion Bonga oilfield, which lies some 120 km (75 miles) from the coast, forcing the company to shut down the 220,000 bpd operation for several days. MEND's other target, Chevron's Agbami oilfield, is Nigeria's newest oilfield. The facility, which started production in late July, is expected to pump about 100,000 bpd by February. Chevron and Shell officials said they did not discuss their security plans. MEND said it was still holding 27 oil workers captive as leverage for the release of suspected militant leader Henry Okah, who is in jail for gun-running and treason. A Nigeria military spokesman said late on Tuesday two South African hostages had been released, but MEND denied this. MEND said on Monday it would release the pair after a personal appeal from Okah's wife. |
