Militants Bomb Nnpc Pipelines Same Day Chevron Gas Line In Delta Was Attacked
SAN FRANCISCO, May 08, (THEWILL) – The Niger Delta Avengers has again bombed a gas and crude pipeline belonging to Nigerian National Petroleum Coporation, NNPC, same day it blew up Well D25 pipeline belonging to Chevron in Abiteye, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta state.
Industry sources told THEWILL that with the development, Chevron may shut in its operations in Abiteye, Alero, Dibi, Otunana and Makaraba flow stations as the gas pipeline attacked by the militant group feeds a major Chevron’s tank farm in the state.
The source also explained that with the attack, crude line feeding the Warri and Kaduna refineries respectively may be shut while the gas line which feeds the Lagos and Abuja electricity power supply which were badly affected may be shut down.
The militant group said the attack was in reaction to the expiry of the three days ultimatum handed to ex-MEND warlord, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo, who they accused of interfering with their activities.
THEWILL reports that the militant group had, in an earlier statement, threatened to take their operations to the backyard of Tompolo if he continue to counter their directives.
They claimed that Tompolo had given his nod to NNPC and contractors to commence repair works on the 48-inch pipeline at Forcados which the militants blew up sometime ago despite a stern warning that no one should go near the blast site until its demands are met.
Spokesman of the Niger Delta Avengers, ‘Colonel’ Mudoch Agbinibo in a statement on Saturday said that the attack was in keeping with the promise they earlier made about taking the ‘war’ to the doorstep of Tompolo.
“To keep to our promise, the three (3) days ultimatum given to Chief Government Ekpemupolo has elapsed and he fail to apologize to the Niger Delta Avengers, at 2200 hours Thursday, May 5, 2016, our strike team 4 hit the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, crude and gas lines,” the statement said.
The group said that the attacks which took place simultaneously around 2200 hours Thursday, May 5, same day Chevron Well D25 Flow station was blown up in Abiteye, occurred about 100 meters away from a military houseboat which was stationed to protect the oil pipelines in the Delta.
They however threatened that if the Federal Government and International Oil Companies fails to meet their demands, they will activate the group's elite unit “THE NIGER DELTA AIR FORCE” codename strike team 1 and launch further attack on all oil facilities including offshore platforms, like Bonga Fpso, EA field, tank farms such as Bonny tank farm, Escravos tank farm and Forcados tank farm in the delta.
The group however warned; “This is a clear warning to the all Niger Delta Politicians, Traditional rulers, Community leaders, and the likes of Tompolo to mind their business and leave the liberation of the Niger Delta people to the Avengers. Those who believe taking sides with federal government to fight Niger Deltans is the best option.
“Avengers are here on ground, neither you nor the federal government can stop us. If you don't stay clear and let us to carry out our activities we will bring the fight to your individual doorsteps. Our major goal is to cripple the Nigeria economy.”
Meanwhile, a coalition of Ijaw Communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South West Local Government Area of the state have appealed to the perpetrators of the twin pipeline attacks to desist from act which they said is inimical and counterproductive to the socio-economic development of the area.
Chairman of Inikorogha community in Warri South West Local Government Area, Comrade Christopher Ejoh, in a statement jointly signed by Chief Isaiah Ukulor and Chief Felix Ejoh, and made available to THEWILL on Saturday, vehemently condemned the attacks which they said was giving the entire Gbaramatu Kingdom a bad name.
They expressed concern that some pipelines that have been commissioned earlier after their repairs by Ocean Marine Solution, a servicing firm handling pipeline repair jobs for the Nigerian Gas Company, NGC, in the area were among the lines attacked in Inikorogha and Bafan communities.
“We are seriously pained by what is going on around Gbaramatu Kingdom and it environs. We condemned in its entirety these attacks and want to appeal to the perpetrators to stay away from our communities.
“Our communities should not be a theatre of their war, because we are at peace with NGC and other multinationals around us. NGC in particularly have been of great help to us, the electricity we are enjoying today was provided by them and we have no course to be in any disagreement with them,” the statement read.
The communities leaders, who expressed concern that the perpetrators are by the attacks trying to make innocent communities culprits in their onslaught, urged the military not to cause further apprehension and fear in the communities in the name of looking for the perpetrators.
Story by Joe Ogbodu