Bullet: Britain advises all nationals to leave oil delta
Britain advised all its nationals to leave three core states in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta because of rising insecurity, the government said on its Web site on Friday. (See travel advisory below)The security situation in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states, which are home to the bulk of Nigerian oil production and also the Nigerian unit of Royal Dutch Shell, made them unsafe for British nationals, the Foreign Office said.
"We therefore advise British nationals to leave. If you stay, you do so at your own risk and should take professional security advice. The level of consular assistance we can provide is limited," it said on its Web site.
Since January 2006, more than 180 foreign nationals have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta, including 31 British nationals, the Web site said.
Militants fighting for more autonomy in the delta began a wave of attacks on oil facilities and kidnappings early last year, but the line between militancy and crime is blurred and diplomats say the region is slipping into anarchy.
British High Commission travel advice
This advice has been reviewed and reissued with amendments to the Summary and Terrorism section (British nationals advised to leave Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States, including Port Harcourt). The overall level of the advice has not changed.
We advise against all travel to the Niger Delta (Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States, including Port Harcourt). This is because of the very high risk of kidnapping, armed robbery and other armed attacks in these areas. In 15 separate incidents since January 2006, 31 British nationals and over 180 foreign nationals have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta area and one Briton has been killed. See the Terrorism /Security section of this travel advice for more details.
We advise that the security situation in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States makes them unsafe for British nationals. We therefore advise British nationals to leave. If you stay, you do so at your own risk and should take professional security advice. The level of consular assistance we can provide is limited.
We advise against all but essential travel to Akwa Ibom State because of the high risk of kidnapping, armed robbery and other armed attacks. You should maintain a high level of vigilance at all times, observe the strictest security measures and not travel unnecessarily. If travelling by road you should use fully protected transport. Six Russian nationals were abducted from a compound in Akwa Ibom State on 3 June 2007.
The high risk of kidnappings and other armed attacks in the Niger Delta applies also to ships and oil rigs at sea off the coast of the Delta. In 2007 there has been an increase in attacks offshore.
There is also a risk of kidnapping in other States in south-east Nigeria. On 17 March 2007, two Chinese nationals were abducted at Nnewi, Anambra State. See the Terrorism/Security section of this travel advice for more details.
Localised outbreaks of civil unrest can occur at short notice. Details and advice are circulated via the British High Commission's Community Liaison Officers' network.
The most common incidents for which British nationals required consular assistance in Nigeria in 2006 were attempts by scam artists to extract money. Violent crime is prevalent in the south of the country, including Lagos. See the Crime section of this travel advice for more details.
You should be aware of the threat from terrorism in Nigeria. A statement issued by Usama Bin Laden in February 2003 called for an uprising by Muslims in a number of countries including Nigeria. He suggested that “faithful Muslims” rise up against the Nigerian Government. He also referred to “support for brothers” in Nigeria in December 2004.
Outbreaks of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) in Nigeria have resulted in one human fatality. As a precaution, you should avoid live animal markets, poultry farms and other places where you may come into contact with domestic, caged or wild birds; and ensure poultry and egg dishes are thoroughly cooked. For further information see Avian Influenza section below and also read Avian and Pandemic Influenza Factsheet.
We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check that your insurance company provides personal insurance cover for you in Nigeria, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake. Check any exclusions. Please see: Travel Insurance.
SITREP: Niger Delta
Newly instated Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua will face as one of his first challenges controlling the unruly and lawless Niger Delta. Kidnappings of foreigners have escalated as armed militants and average citizens decry the persistence of rampant poverty in a region teeming with oil wealth.
Two Indian petrochemical workers were abducted at gunpoint from their apartment. Security guards say an armed group fired on the building in the early hours of the morning and took the two men captive. "They were holding ammunition that was more than the security's."
The guard on duty was armed with a baton. Hostages are usually held until a ransom is paid.
A militant group called The Niger Delta Vigilantes struts through the streets of Okrika Island. The group has become a major militant force fighting for better compensation for the region from the government and oil companies. They say they wish peaceful means were an option.
Some militant groups choose to keep a low profile. Speaking from an upstairs safe house, Commander Marcus Appolos with the Iijaw Youth Council says violence has increased because people in the Niger Delta feel the government is ignoring their needs while reaping the financial benefits of the region's oil.
"The threat of the Niger Delta was not like this [before], but today every little child is aware of fighting for freedom. So now even unborn children are happy to die for justice."
A maze of winding waterways offers hideouts for militant bases, accessible only by speedboat. Small fishing villages like this are caught in the crossfire of gang-like warfare as militant groups battle for territory. Fishermen here say they have lost their livelihood.
One such fisherman is Samuel Johnson, who says, "All of my things are lost. My house is burned. My canoe, my net is finished. I am empty."
Meanwhile, a pipeline outside the village moves oil from underneath the waterways. One of the complaints of militant groups and citizens is that oil production has degraded their environment. Gas flares are common.
In the village of Ikarama in the southern state of Bayelsa people live by farming and fishing.
But they say life has become more difficult since oil from a line belonging to Dutch conglomerate Shell began seeping to the surface, spilling across a field and entering the creeks and swamps. Engineer Lambert Miebi says the environment is not safe. "We are not in a safe environment. We feed from this soil and also we fish from these swamps, we have so many ponds around. We fish from them and they are all polluted."
Oil companies, including Shell, were contacted for this report but representatives say they are too busy dealing with attacks and hostage situations to speak to the media.
Residents say another oil company, Italian-based AGIP, built a footbridge for them as a sign of good relations. But, they say now the bridge is falling apart.
SITREP: U.S. Interests in Nigeria
It is understandable, particularly when there is overwhelming need for peace in every region of the world to promote enduring progress in other more rewarding spheres of human endeavour.
This recent concern may also have sprung from America's interest in securing the African continent, from which it sources more than 20 percent of its oil requirements and its increasing interest in checkmating China's growing incursions on the economic and diplomatic fronts of Africa, and indeed, Nigeria.
While it remains heart-warming that effort is being made by economically and diplomatically dominant nations in the world to show more concern about the prevailing circumstances that threaten global peace and market fundamentals in Nigeria, it remains debatable, the efficacy of America’s plan to send troops to Nigeria's restive Niger Delta area in the long-run.
Reports are rife that Washington has approved an African Command Centre to assist needy countries to counter militants' problems in their areas, an initiative that derives from its acceptance to host an international conference on the Niger Delta aimed at finding lasting peace in the area.
Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, is believed to have been mandated to get the envisaged Command running by the end of September, 2008.
Ordinarily, this is calculated to strengthen America's security cooperation with Africa.
But while the proponents of the Command are bent on reclining on it to accentuate their military might and douse tension in the crisis-torn areas of the African continent, it is not clear if this alone, however lofty it may appear, could fit easily as a solution to the Niger Delta question without addressing the more fundamental issues that bear strongly on the welfare and desire of the Niger Delta people.
In this regard, there is need to understand and appreciate the fact that what could assuage the people of the area is giving them more economic opportunity and voice as defined by their clamour for 25 percent derivation from the subsisting level of 13 percent.
It is our strong belief that the situation in the area will change significantly if this is done in league with pumping money into the Niger Delta to create economic opportunities and give skills acquisition capacity to the youths beyond mere rhetoric and political pronouncements.
It is on record that the much flaunted Niger Delta Master-Plan, as beautiful as it may look, has been in existence for years running without altering the matrix of deprivation and underdevelopment in the area.
Even with the entrenched global concern about the situation and the renewed desire to stamp out restiveness in the area using the envisaged introduction of the American Command, it is doubtful if much would be achieved without escalating skirmishes beyond borderlines, as long as Asari Dokubo, whom many describe as the face of the Niger Delta struggle, still remains incarcerated.
We therefore advocate stricter caution and more rewarding and innovative ways of assuaging the feelings of the Niger Delta indigenes, eliminating the prevalence of hostage taking, reducing casualties and engendering progress and growth in Nigeria and indeed, Africa, without recourse to full-blown show of military might. Enough of blood shedding in the area.
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