Nigeria Security Update #2 100707

Camp Attacked, Militants Repelled (Reuters)

Nigerian troops repelled an attack on a construction site run by Korean firm Daewoo in the Niger Delta early on Tuesday, killing one of the attackers, a military commander said.
The attack took place at Mbiama, on the outskirts of the delta's main city of Port Harcourt, where Daewoo are doing contract work for Italian oil firm Agip .

Daewoo staff including some foreigners live on the site and the military commander said they were the target of the attack.

"The gunmen came in a bus to abduct some foreigners who were in the camp at the time but my men repelled the attack," said Lawrence Ngubane, head of the Joint Task Force responsible for security in the Niger Delta.

"We killed one of the attackers and arrested one. We also seized the bus, some weapons and ammunition," he said.

None of the Daewoo staff was hurt or kidnapped, Ngubane said.

Abductions for ransom of foreign oil workers are extremely frequent in the Niger Delta, as are attacks on oil production facilities. About 200 expatriates have been kidnapped since the start of 2006, of whom at least 16 are still being held.

Oil output from Nigeria, the world's eighth-biggest exporter, is down by over 20 percent because of these attacks and thousands of expatriate workers and their families have left the region since the violence intensified at the start of 2006.


Cults Clash, Houses Destroyed (Wire Reports)

Several people were injured and many houses and vehicles were destroyed in two days of fighting between two rival cult gangs in southern Nigeria's volatile Ogoniland, police said Tuesday.

Riot police were brought in to break up the violence which erupted Sunday between the Deewell and Deebam gangs in Bane in the Khana local government area, Rivers state police spokeswoman Ireju Barasua told AFP.

"Several people were injured while vehicles and houses were razed" in the fighting which continued until Monday, she added.

Local press said at least two people were feared killed.

Bane is the home town of the late environmental campaigner and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was killed along with eight other Ogoni activists by the military in November 1995 over a trumped up charge of killing four fellow Ogoni chiefs.

Oil-rich Ogoniland is a hotbed of civil unrest in the restive Niger Delta, home to Nigeria's multi-billion-dollar oil and gas resources.

Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell, which is Nigeria's leading producer, was forced to quit Ogoniland in 1993 because of community unrest.

Residents of Ogoni communities accuse foreign oil companies, especially Shell, of destroying their ecosystem without paying adequate compensation.



VP Says Niger Delta's Security Top Priority (This Day)

Vice President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that his main assignment in the first six months of the life of the administration is to stabilise the Niger Delta area.

He also said the lack of coordination that proved quite unhelpful in solving the crisis and other related matters in the Niger Delta in the past is already being taking care of by the Yar'Adua administration.

The Vice President said these yesterday at the Aso Rock State House when he received a six-man delegation on a courtesy visit from the parent company of Nigerian Agip Oil Company (ENI), led by its Chief Operation Officer, Mr. Stefano Cao.

He also said the deplorable security situation in Lagos State would also be given adequate attention so that Nigerians could sleep peacefully at night while their businesses and investments thrive without fear from the men of the underworld.

The Vice President told the visiting group that the Federal Government has made appreciable progress in the Niger Delta area by securing the understanding of the leaders of those agitating for a better deal in the region.

He said several talks have already been held with all the stakeholders in the area to ensure that such meetings have far reaching effect in resolving the crises.

On the security situation in Lagos State, Jonathan said "we will ensure that security situation in the Niger Delta area is improved soon, even Lagos State security situation will be looked into, so that business and investment can thrive and people can sleep safely at night".

Nigeria Security Update #1 070707

Swamp of Despair (London Times)

The threat to kill the three-year-old British girl kidnapped in Nigeria’s Delta region brings a dangerous new element to the violence and lawlessness endemic in this impoverished oil-producing region. Until now, the campaign to force the Government and international oil companies to return some of the wealth to the polluted and ravaged villages of the Delta has largely targeted foreign oil workers, regularly seized as hostages and exchanged for ransom. This year more than 100 foreigners have been kidnapped, and the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) has just called off its moratorium and resumed attacks on the oil workers. But in recent months dozens of splinter groups, most of them ordinary criminal gangs, have also resorted to hostage-taking. Margaret Hill, the daughter of a Nigerian mother and British father, is the latest victim of this downward spiral into lawlessness.

Local support for Mend and other militant groups is understandable. Although the Delta accounts for 90 per cent of Nigeria’s export income, the swampy region gets almost no return on the money. The infrastructure has collapsed, roads have become impassable, once-thriving businesses have moved away, farmlands have been destroyed and fishermen thrown out of work, while the miasma of oil pollution hangs over all. The federal Government in Abuja has regularly promised to revive the region, but corruption, tribal antagonism and conflicts in other parts of the vast country have thwarted all plans.

The international oil companies, long pilloried for their indifference, have made great efforts in recent years to clean up the pollution and spread the benefits of their activity. But they have been unable to prevent the theft of oil from pipelines (often with disastrous consequences), the corruption of local administrators and the growing number of attacks on their staff. Shell, by far the biggest foreign company, is now so constrained by violence and criminality that its operations have been affected severely. Oil production is down by 25 per cent this year and Nigerians fear that the multinationals will leave with catastrophic results for Africa’s most populous nation.

Before leaving office, former President Obasanjo drew up the Niger Delta Master Plan, replacing an earlier plan that failed to produce results. His successor, President Umaru Yar’Adua, has promised to tackle the problems of the Delta. But although he proved to be a competent governor, free of the stain of corruption, the flawed election that brought him to power has already constrained his authority. The problem for Abuja is that it cannot afford to return the oil profits to the Delta, as this would hurt the already cash-strapped federal Government and lead to increased unrest in other part of the country, especially the restive Muslim north.

The prospect of spreading violence in Nigeria, where tribal divisions undermine many federal attempts to fight corruption and improve local administration, is deeply disturbing. The country has suffered one devastating civil war and numerous coups since independence. It cannot be allowed to become Africa’s largest failed state. Multinationals must persist in attempts to improve conditions in the Delta, and Mr Yar’Adua must focus on this endemic dispute. The first step is to ensure the release a small, vulnerable girl, whose seizure is a symptom of all that is wrong.

Nigeria's President Appeals to Kidnappers

The President of Nigeria, Umaru Yar'Adua, has appealed for the immediate release of a three-year-old British girl kidnapped by gunmen.
Mr Yar'Adua has ordered the Nigerian security services to ensure that Margaret Hill is returned unharmed to her family.

The girl's parents said the kidnappers were demanding a ransom.

Margaret Hill was snatched from a car on her way to school in Port Harcourt, in the volatile Niger Delta region.

Officials said that security forces would not resort to violence in order to free the girl.

A statement released by the president's office said "President Yar'Adua... appeals once again for a total cessation of all acts of violence in the region, the release of little Miss Margaret Hill and all other hostages."

"He has directed the security agencies to make every possible effort to ensure that she is returned to her family unharmed and he remains in touch with all efforts being made to secure the girl's release," the statement said.

Her mother, Oluchi, says the kidnappers have threatened to kill Margaret unless her husband takes the girl's place.

Crying

Margaret was snatched by gunmen at 0730 (0630 GMT) on Thursday after they smashed a window of the car as it sat in traffic.

The kidnappers telephoned Mrs Hill and said they would free the child but only if her father, Mike, took her place.

Mrs Hill, a Nigerian national, told the BBC that the kidnappers told her to meet them in a town in Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta region, but that neither she nor the police had been able to locate it.

She said they then allowed her to speak to her daughter, who was crying.

"They say I can bring my husband to swap with the baby," Mrs Hill said.

"He wanted to go down for his baby but the police commander told him not to."

Mrs Hill said the kidnappers threatened to kill Margaret if Mr Hill did not come within three hours.

After the deadline had expired, Mrs Hill said Margaret was being fed just "bread and water".

Ransom demanded

The family says the kidnappers have also asked for money.

Nigerian national police chief Mike Okiro has gone to Port Harcourt, where he held meetings with security officials.

The region's main militant group - the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) - has offered to help find the child.

"We will join in the hunt for the monsters who carried out this abduction and mete out adequate punishment for this crime. We abhor all forms of violence against women and children," the group said in a statement.

The UK's Foreign Office has called for Margaret's "immediate safe release".

The BBC's Alex Last in Lagos says Mr Hill is ill and had been due to fly to the UK for medical treatment.

He says that no hostage has ever been killed by kidnappers in Nigeria and more than 200 have been taken by armed groups in the last 18 months.

Almost all were freed after a ransom was paid.



Cultists and Port Harcourt (Vanguard)

Gunmen suspected to be cultists go on a shooting spree in the oil city, leaving no less than 20 persons dead at different locations of the Rivers State capital

IS there any part of Rivers state that is safe? This is the question on many lips since Sunday evening when suspected cultists took over major streets in the state capital shooting sporadically. And at the end of the shooting spree, no fewer than twenty persons lay dead at different locations.

It was wailing that night in many homes. It was not clear if it was a cult clash but the shooting according to eye witnesses started around Water lines, a place where most travelers to Lagos, Calabar etc board vehicles. Sources could not speak on how the assailants came to the area, but they said what they heard were shootings from all directions. And as usual those around scampered for safety. Nobody could say if any life was lost but they said many people sustained severe gun shot wounds.

The shooting spree later spread to Diobu area of the state capital at about 6.45 pm where scores of people lost their lives. At Njemanze about six persons reportedly died, including a little girl said to be assisting the mother to sell roasted corn by the road side. At Emenike, a lady was reportedly killed. Meters away from her corpse was that of another girl that was shot on the chest.

At Abakaliki Road , a pregnant woman was allegedly killed by stray bullets in a church where she had gone to seek the face of her creator. Another lady who was on her way to get drugs at a drug store on Okija street met her untimely death in the hands of the gunmen. Three friends said to be drinking at a beer parlour were also shot dead.

The total death toll at press time could not be confirmed. When Saturday Vanguard went round some of the streets the following day families were seen crying and wailing that they had not seen some of their relatives.

“I have not seen my brother since that night. We went round some of the corpses people drew our attention to. I just pray he is still alive’, somebody who gave his name as Akpan said.
The shooting lasted about three hours. In almost all the nooks and crannies of Diobu that black evening people scampered for safety. Families lucky to be indoors when it started quickly locked themselves inside. The market that springs up at Mile one every evening hurriedly packed up with traders and buyers fleeing at different directions. By 7.30 p.m. that evening, vehicles had disappeared from the busy Mile One to Mile Three portion of Ikwerre Road. Few motorists on the road were forced to drive through Okija and other adjoining streets because the Police Station in Mile One quickly barricaded a portion of the road with vehicles, ostensibly to protect the station from any invasion.

It was hell for passengers that were caught in the cross fire that night as no commercial vehicles were in sight to pick them. Most of them had to be begging motorists racing to safety for lift.
“I never pray for this kind of evening even for my enemy. That I came out alive was God’s grace. No taxi or bus to pick any of us. The few private cars on the road were on top speed to see how they too could disappear from the shooting scene. Bullets were flying over our heads from all directions. I had to trek miles that night before I could manage to get a bus’ one of them told the Vanguard.

When contacted the following day for the actual figure of the dead, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Felix Ogbaudu who said he was in Abuja said the police were yet to come up with a tally of casualties, because they recovered about seven that night and the following day they were still recovering more corpses.

But why will any sane mind open fire at a market place, not minding if a relative could be hit is one of the issues that have been agitating the minds of many since that black Sunday evening in Rivers state.

Some people said the shooting was a reprisal attack on another cult group by their rival body. But again, many had thought that if it was truly a reprisal action then the assailants should have limited themselves to their targets. But in this case several of those consumed by the shooting were innocent passers-by. For instance what business will a little girl of about thirteen who was roasting corn with the mother by the road side have to do with cultism? Well! for some others, the whole tragic drama that night was aimed at creating an atmosphere of tension in the state. Again , what kind of tension? Because the state in the opinion of many has been tension soaked even before the mindless killings that night.

Conjectures will never end on the reason behind the callous and brutal killings of many innocent and defenseless Nigerians that night by their own brothers but one thing that cannot be given to the realms of speculations is that the state is not safe. There is need to declare the area a security emergency. In the same week a paramount ruler was murdered in Kpor, Khana local government by suspected cultists. According to the Police Commissioner, he was accused of having aided a cult group in the area. His death triggered off reprisals that claimed several lives.

The Kpor incident came barely days after a similar one in Rumuolumeni where the alleged killing of a youth leader sparked off a crisis that also claimed several lives and destroyed properties running into millions. When the crisis thickened in the area most residents had to vacate their houses for safety. As at press time peace had not fully returned to the area. Residents who fled were still not set to move back. One of them Mr. John Bull said he was not sure peace had truly come to the place.

“Peace has not returned. Was it not last week they came again in the midnight to kill two persons. The trouble is still very fresh in the minds of many of assailants there. So it is not safe to go back now”.

Just when many thought the Rumuolumeni trouble was enough headache was when unknown gun men stormed a private school in the state capital to abduct a three year old son of a female legislator. They reportedly threatened to blow up the head of the house help who took the child to school if he was not released to them. They later reportedly fled with the lad and kept him away from his parents for days, until according to sources close to the family money exchanged hands before the child regained his freedom.

Disturbed by the insecurity problem in the state wife of the governor, Mrs. Tonia Omehia publicly called for prayers to rescue the state and the region from the “satanic” grip. She decried the action of those who kidnapped the three-year old child. Her lamentation is just one in several millions. The cry for peace in the state is so loud that governments, both at the state and national levels must rise to do something to save the state.

For most residents, government should take bold step to stem the tide of cultism, after all according to them it was a monster created by the political class in the state. They argued that before 1999 the state was calm and peaceful. But with the advent of democracy cultism was institutionalized as another arm to provide security for politicians and also secure political victories for them .

There is also appeal to soldiers to assist in curbing the situation. Flash points like Emenike, Ojoto round about, Azikiwe street, Nnsuka, Njemanze should be manned daily by security operatives. Again, they urge police to clamp down on brothels in these areas. More often, shooting had always started from these red light spots.
A stitch in time they say, saves nine.

Nigeria Security Update #2 210607

Nigerian Army Kills 12 Militant, Frees 27 Hostages (Associated Press)

Troops attacked and overran a Nigerian oil facility Thursday where gunmen were holding some two dozen workers and soldiers hostage, leaving a dozen of the gunmen dead, the military said.

The attack came after midnight at the flowstation run by Italian energy giant Eni SpA in southern Nigeria, said Male Ochaguwuba, a military spokesman. He said 12 of the gunmen who seized the facility on Sunday had been killed, but he had no details on military casualties.

Officials of Eni subsidiary Agip weren't immediately reachable for comment.

The seizure of the Eni-run facility, guarded by Nigerian troops, and the military's counterattack threatened a fuller outbreak of violence in the region where various criminal and militant gangs roam the creeks and swamps in speedboats.

Militants seeking to pressure the federal government to dispense more funds to their region, which remains deeply impoverished, generally sabotage oil installations and rarely launch full assaults on the military.

The military, meanwhile, patrols the same creeks but hasn't yet sent a large attack force in to clear the militants out despite 18 months of rising violence in the region where all the crude is pumped in Africa's biggest producer.

Past military campaigns in the Niger Delta have left villages burned to the ground and sent civilians fleeing. Those were sparked by killing of troops and were widely viewed as reprisal raids that human rights groups criticized.

No major militant group took credit for the seizure of the Eni oil-pipeline intersection center in Bayelsa state. It had been seized after earlier battles between government troops and fighters in the region left several of the fighters dead.

New President Umaru Yar'Adua has moved to calm the region since his May 29 inauguration, when he declared the crisis a major national priority. A top militant leader was released from jail and the government says it's going to convene a summit of federal, local and traditional leaders aimed at a long-term solution.

Militants have said they would hold off on attacks to allow Yar'Adua's government space to plan, but they said the rampant kidnapping of foreigners would likely persist since it's now a simply criminal issue that has been fueled by the payment of ransoms.

Nigeria is Africa's biggest producer of crude and the third-biggest overseas supplier of oil to the United States. The militants' increased activities since December 2005 have cut about a quarter of Nigeria's daily production, helping send oil prices soaring around the world.

Nigerian Navy Accused of Cover-up in Case of Missing Ships (Vanguard)

In what it described as a replay of scandal involving MT African Pride which led to the retirement of two naval generals, a group under the aegis of Coalition Of Nigerian Youths For Good Governance yesterday in Abuja alleged that two crude oil bunkering ships, MT Balle and MT Alruhula, have disappeared from the custody of Nigeria Navy. The ships had been arrested in Calabar and detained by the Nigerian Navy in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The group also alleged the disappearance of another barge which was under the custody of the navy in Port Harcourt too. However, Naval spok-esman, Captain Obioma Medani, has refuted the allegation, saying that an investigative panel was still sitting on the issue.

The group alleged that the ships were arrested in March and June respectively off the Calabar coast by men on board NNS Kyanwa and were subsequently berthed at NNS Pathfinder, Port Harcourt. They allegedly disappeared on June 12. The coalition also accused the police for treating the issue lightly and queried why the past Inspector General of Police Sunday Ehindero who might have had the information was in a hurry "to want to clear all grounds before his handover".

However, Police spoke-sman Haz Iwendi, when contacted on phone yesterday, said "the Police had no business and still has no business with the ships. The ships were in the high seas and we don't have the facility to go there and we are not involved in any investigations as regards the ships".

The group made a four-point demand. They asked for the immediate constitution of a public panel of inquiry to look at the disappearance of the two missing ships and other missing vessels, the immediate release of the full report on the findings of all commissions of inquiry on the MT African Pride, an inquiry "to also look deeply into the cases of the immediate past Inspector-General of Police Sunday Ehindero and Navy Captain G. Ajedokun to see if they are connected to the missing vessels and the immediate reorganisation of the nation's maritime security organisation commencing with the immediate removal and prosecution of the Chief of Naval Staff for his incapability to secure the nation's territorial waters."

In a statement yesterday, Medani described the allegations as "untrue".

"On the contrary, an official Board of Inquiry headed by Captain Bimbo Ayuba is presently sitting in Port Harcourt to ascertain the circumstances that led to the incident.

The Board has been tasked to identify anybody who in any way may have contributed to unauthorized movement of the detained vessels.

"Presently, all the officers and ratings who had any connection with the custody of the vessels are presently being held under detention pending the findings of the Board of Inquiry. In addition, the Navy has spread its dragnet to re-arrest the two vessels and from all indications the Navy effort will soon yield result," he said, reinterating that "as a responsible body, the Navy follows the due process in discharging its activities".

Strike Enters Second Day (Press Reports)

The loading of oil tankers at Nigerian export terminals continues on the second day of the country's general strike, ship agents and oil company officials have said.

Oil unions had threatened to withdraw staff from the terminals on Thursday to stop exports and exert more pressure on the government to reverse an increase in fuel prices.

"We are not seeing any impact on loadings at the moment," a shipping agent said.

The strike is the first major challenge for Umaru Yar'Adua, the president, who inherited the controversial fuel price increase from his predecessor Olusegun Obasanjo.

It has paralysed most economic activity in the country, including general cargo ports, government offices, schools, banks and many private businesses closed for the second day.

But unions have allowed essential operations in the oil industry, which is the country's economic lifeline, to continue.

Peter Akpatason, the head of the NUPENG oil union, said the strike would intensify as time went on.

"Basically the members are complying. As usual, with time, the strike will begin to affect new areas. Production and exports are the last areas to be affected. Since we are in the second day and the government has not moved definitely we have to push deeper and deeper," he said.

Speculation on oil production or export cuts from Africa's biggest producer of crude has caused uncertainty among motorists unable to fill up their cars - forcing an increased number of workers to stay at home.

Many flights have also been cancelled as airlines feared they would be unable to refill their jets with fuel after they arrived at their destination.

Markets for essential items stayed open, however, and there were no signs of scarcities for food, although prices were rising as demand gained on supply.

Streets deserted

Streets in the main cities were deserted, partly due to an earlier five-day-old strike by road tanker drivers which has left most of the country without fuel.

Some international and domestic flights had been cancelled because of a shortage of jet fuel.

Unionists barricaded streets in Port Harcourt, Nigeria's southern oil capital, and ejected workers who turned up for work at government offices in the capital, Abuja.

Yar'Adua agreed to reverse the tax increase and to implement a public sector pay rise as demanded by the unions, but talks broke down over the fuel price.

Unions rejected the government's offer to reduce pump prices by four cents a litre, saying only a full reversal of its 10-naira increase would stop the strike.

Corrupt government

Nigeria is one of the world's leading crude producers, but virtually all of its petrol is now imported after years of corruption, mismanagement and violence rendered refineries inoperable.

Heavy government subsidies keep re-imported petroleum products cheap in a country whose citizens complain they get little else in the way of services from a corrupt government.

Unions launched their strike on Wednesday in the hope of forcing the government to roll back a 15 per cent increase on automobile fuel.

Oil receipts account for about 80 per cent of the Nigerian government's revenue and the unions are threatening to close the taps of Nigeria's energy industry, sending crude prices towards nine-month highs on international markets.

Nigeria Security Update #2 200607

Rumors of Civil War Becoming a Reality? - (BBC News Archives)

Nearly four decades after Nigeria's bloody civil war ended, some young men calling themselves "freedom fighters" are trying to re-open old wounds.

They want to revive Biafra's crushed secession bid, launched on 30 May 1967, because, they say, they can no longer tolerate being marginalised by the Nigerian state.

But federal authorities have dismissed members of the separatist Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (Massob) as "common criminals" and "armed robbers".

Massob wants a separate country for the Igbo people of south-eastern Nigeria.

For the government, Massob revives memories of the horrors of the Biafran war, in which more than one million people died.

But the Massob fighters - mostly traders and university graduates - have come up with some creative ways to press home their demand.

"They go into a market and order market women to pay parallel Biafran taxes instead of those approved by Nigerian government," says the BBC's Yusuf Sarki Muhammad, who was recently in the region.

New demands

A few years ago, the banned Biafran currency, the pound, re-surfaced in some markets in the region, until a government crackdown forced the perpetrators underground.

Now, the rebels are out of hiding with three simple demands and a deadline.

They are demanding the release of their detained leader Ralph Uwazuruike, arrested in 2005 and being held on treason charges, and oil militant Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, from the Niger Delta, who is facing similar charges.

Their third demand is one that many others have made: a re-run of Nigeria's recent general elections which local observers say were a "charade".

Although the Massob fighters threatened to disrupt Tuesday's inauguration of President Umaru Yar'Adua if both men were not freed, they did not get round to it.

But they have said they are prepared to "die for the cause of justice".

Futility

The group appears to be losing relevance as their recent call for a "sit-at-home" strike failed to win any support among their traditional supporters - market women and unemployed Igbo young men.

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, 74, who led the initial Biafran secession bid, has not come out publicly to reprimand Massob, but he is now old enough to see the futility in trying to do what he could not achieve as a 34-year-old army colonel.

Mr Odumegwu-Ojuwkwu's participation in Nigeria's recent presidential elections is often cited by analysts as proof that the Oxford University-educated former warlord has abandoned the idea of Biafra.

But south-eastern politicians watch their words whenever the subject is Massob.

They do not want to openly support the group for fear of incurring the wrath of the central government.

But they also do not want to be seen as betraying the Igbo cause.

Setting sun

"Look, the truth is that every true-born Igbo man or woman secretly desires what Massob is trying to achieve," a senior Igbo journalist, who lived through the horrors of the Biafran war as a child, told the BBC News website.

"But many of them are also smart enough to realise that it is foolhardy to let themselves to be identified as supporters of Massob," he said, requesting anonymity.

"I don't want to comment on what Massob is trying to achieve," says Uche Chukwumerije, a senator who used to be head of the Biafran propaganda machinery.

"But what I can say is that the long-term political stability of this country lies in a very drastic restructuring of the Nigerian state."

Other Igbo leaders, who do not believe in the practicability of Massob's ambitions, however, say the fighters have succeeded in drawing attention to the "continued marginalisation of the Igbo people by Nigeria".

Despite Massob's agitations, the reality is that the sun may have set permanently on Biafra once called "the land of the rising sun".

Strike Brings Nigeria to a Standstill but Doesn't Effect Flow of Oil (Reuters)

A general strike over a rise in fuel prices brought much of Nigeria to a standstill on Wednesday but oil exports from Africa's top producer were initially unaffected.

Unions pressed on with the strike despite a series of concessions offered by President Umaru Yar'Adua, who faces the first major test of his government three weeks after taking office.

The offices of Western oil companies in Nigeria were closed along with most other businesses and government offices, but oil production and shipments from the world's eighth largest exporter of crude were uninterrupted, company officials said.

"All our offices are locked up, but there has been no interference in our operations yet," said a senior executive at a Western multinational.

Unions ordered workers to go on "total strike", but leaders of the oil unions said it would take time to shut down the country's economic lifeline.

"Essential operations are continuing this morning. If we affect production that will bring maximum pressure on the government," said Peter Esele, head of the PENGASSAN oil union.

Oil companies use non-unionized staff to maintain essential operations, but some union members are required to sign off on exports and this is the most vulnerable link in the chain.

Shipping agents said work was continuing normally at the export terminals.

London oil futures, which have been supported by fears of a disruption from Nigeria, fell by 50 cents to $71.34 a barrel.

Yar'Adua inherited the crisis from his predecessor, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, who unexpectedly lifted fuel prices, doubled value-added tax and privatized two oil refineries days before leaving office on May 29.

NO FUEL

Streets in the main cities were deserted, but this was partly due to a five-day-old strike by road tanker drivers which has left most of the country without fuel.

Very few buses were operating. Banks, schools and most government offices were closed. Some international and domestic flights were cancelled because of a shortage of jet fuel.

Unionists barricaded streets in the southern oil capital of Port Harcourt and ejected workers who turned up for work at government offices in the capital Abuja.

Yar'Adua agreed to reverse the tax increase and to implement a public sector pay rise as demanded by the unions, but talks broke down over the fuel price.

Unions rejected the government's offer to reduce pump prices by 5 naira (4 cents) a liter, saying only a full reversal of its 10-naira increase would avert the action.

Previous strikes in Nigeria have had a limited impact on oil operations, because they tend to build strength slowly and are normally resolved within a few days.

Many Nigerians support the strike because the majority lives below the poverty line. Fuel subsidies are seen as one of the few benefits they receive from a government that has failed to deliver power, water, healthcare or schools.

Nigeria's four oil refineries have been shut for months because of sabotage and mismanagement, and Africa's largest producer of crude oil is entirely dependent on imports to meet its fuel needs.

Fuel Scarcity Paralyzes Economy (Daily Champion)

Following the protracted fuel scarcity in parts of the country including the Federal Capital Territory( FCT), Abuja , socio-economic activities may suffer serious set back as commuters are bound to encounter herculean task getting to their various places of busines this week.

The unending fuel scarcity in the country re-surfaced in Abuja Friday evening and worsened at the weekend as most filling stations were under lock and key claiming to have ran out of stock.

Blackmarketeers have also utilised the sad situation to make brisk business as fuel stations with some stock prefer to deal with them in the nights, selling above the official pump price per litre.

In turn, the blackmarketeers sell to the public at very exorbitant prices. For instance a litre of fuel yesterday sold between N300 -N400 leading to a hike in transport fares by more than 100 per cent increase .

Most commercial bus operators spent most of their time in queues in anticipation of possible supplies of fuel while some private vehicle owners also suffered the same fate to the extent of sleeping at filling stations in desperate bid to buy to facilitate their movement this week.

Yesterday in Abuja metropolis, there was dearth of commercial vehicles while numerous passengers were at various points haggling with conductors of available vehicles as well as cyclists within the satellite towns.

Transport fares have skyrocketed as most places which normally take about N80, now takes as much as N150 , some places that cost about N50 now take not less than N100. Within the Satelite towns , the commercial motocycle operators were also having a field day charging exorbitant rates,

The fear now, given the continuing fuel scarcity is the possibility of peddling of adulterated products.

ENI Declares Force Majeure (Business Day)

Italian oil company, Eni has declared force majeure on 37,000 barrels a day oil shipments from Ogbainbiri flow station in Bayelsa State after the facility was attacked on Sunday, a company spokesman said yesterday.

This latest assault brings to 750, 000 barrels a day the quantity of crude oil lost to the Niger Delta crisis.

The declaration of force majeure allows companies to suspend contractual obligations to customers, such as deliveries of oil and gas, following unforeseen events without incurring penalties.

The flow station was one of two oil plants invaded by armed men on Sunday and according to Eni spokesman, the force majeure was declared after the attack.

Eni’s chief executive Paolo Scaroni said that because of the occupation, 37,000 barrels per day of production was shut-in, of which 5,500 barrels a day is net to Eni.

The militants last Sunday shattered the relative peace expected in the restive Niger Delta region following the release of Mujahid Dokubo-Asari as they attacked the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, a unit of Eni’s flow station.

Eni confirmed that 27 people including 11 soldiers were being held hostage at Ogbainbiri flow station after the facility.

No one was confirmed harmed or killed in the invasion of the station.

It was gathered that at the time of the attack there were 24 workers and 51 soldiers within the premises.

However, 40 soldiers and eight staff managed to leave the flow station while the rest are being held.

The attack came barely 24 hours after men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) killed eight militants in the same Ogbainbiri area in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the State.

The armed youths who invaded Chevron’s flow station at Abiteye on Sunday complained that 150 million naira ($1.2 million) paid to them under a previous compensation scheme was poorly spent.

The youths had left yesterday, but a company spokesman said Chevron would resume 42,000 barrels per day of output there only when it was safe to do so.

Meanwhile, supply disruptions in the country, the world’s eighth-largest oil exporter, have helped crude oil prices climb to 10-month highs of more than $72 a barrel this year.

This is happening as a general strike threat by the organised labour and hostage takings in the Niger Delta extended the market’s gains to a fourth session.

The country came into limelight in the international market yesterday after the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) said they would start an indefinite strike today.

The government however offered series of concessions, including reducing fuel price hike and suspending the value-added tax.

Nigeria Security Update #1 200607

Nigerian Government Issues Ultimatum (Daily Sun)

The Federal Government on Tuesday issued a-48 hour ultimatum to Bayelsa State Government to ascertain the whereabouts of 12 soldiers and nine oil workers declared missing after an encounter with the militants in the state on Sunday.

The government said the soldiers and oil workers must be produced dead or alive before the expiration of the ultimatum.

Consequently, the government threatened a military operation in the state on the expiration of the deadline.

Already, the Commander of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Restore Hope, Brig.-Gen. Lawrence Ngubane, visited Government House, Yenogoa, on Tuesday, to convey the latest development to the state government.

It was not, however, clear if Ngubane, who departed 93 Battalion, Effurun, headquarters of JTF on Tuesday morning, met the state Governor, Mr. Timipre Silva - Sam.

The militants attacked Ogboinbiri flow station of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company on Sunday, apparently to avenge the killing of their kinsmen on Wednesday by soldiers on surveillance duty on the oil platform.

It was gathered that nine out of the 11 unarmed youths who were on their way to a community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area in Bayelsa State were allegedly killed by the troops attached to the JTF.

Although the authorities of JTF were hopeful that the soldiers and the oil workers were still alive, investigation revealed that they might have been killed by the militants.

The spokesman of JTF, Major Omale Ochagwuba, declined to confirm if the soldiers were killed or abducted.

However, our correspondent learnt that the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Owoye Azazi, who supervises the JTF, contacted Ngubane on Monday evening and intimated him with the position of the federal government on the incident.

Azazi reportedly directed Ngubane to convey the position to Silva-Sam in Yenagoa on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, uneasy calm reigned at JTF‘s headquarters in Effurun, Delta State , on Tuesday due to fate of the troops of the outfit.

Officers and men of the security agency met in groups discussing the fate of their colleagues amidst reports that the authorities were preparing for a military operation to dislodge the militants from the oil platform.

Ngubane, in a telephone interview on Tuesday, confirmed that he visited Yenagoa but he declined to give details of his mission in the area.

”I am in Yenogoa and I am in a meeting now. I don‘t have time to entertain questions at the moment,” Ngubane said before he hung the phone.

But a senior officer of JTF confirmed the ultimatum to Bayelsa state government by the federal government.

The source, who craved anonymity, said Ngugane was mandated to deliver the deadline to Silva - Sam.

In a related development, nine Ijaw youths were on Monday night arrested by the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Restore Hope, on the Abiteye production platform of Chevron Nigeria Limited in Delta State .

Also, the American oil firm regained the facility on Monday night, shortly after the protesting youths from Benikrukru community were dislodged from the platform by the troops of JTF.

The troops of JTF were supported by some indigenes of the community.

Our correspondent learnt that reinforcement sent to the platform by the Commander of JTF, Brig.-Gen. Lawrence Ngubane, overpowered the youths and freed the facility on Monday night.

Strike Still On, Oil Prices Rise (Associated Press)

Oil prices inched up Tuesday, setting a nine-month closing high, after labor unions in Nigeria rejected the government's efforts to avert a nationwide strike. Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer and one of the top overseas suppliers to the United States.

Light, sweet crude for July delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose a penny to settle at $69.10 a barrel, the highest close since Sept. 1.

Labor unions on Tuesday rejected the Nigerian government's offer to halve a price hike on automobile fuel, only hours before its strike protesting the increase was set to begin.

The unions are threatening to target the strike action at the oil industry, with the aim of stanching oil exports that count for 90 percent of the government's income.

Continued violence in Nigeria also has kept oil prices within striking distance of $70 a barrel.

Recent attacks by villagers and gunmen cut supply at two Nigerian oil facilities. Hundreds of angry villagers chased workers away from a Chevron Corp. oil-transfer facility Monday in southern Nigeria. Gunmen also seized some two dozen Nigerian workers and security forces at a flow station operated by Italian energy giant Eni SPA's subsidiary Agip.

Militant leader Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, freed on bail, said Tuesday that armed groups in Nigeria's restive south will stop attacks on oil facilities to give the new government a chance to deal with the region's problems.

However, he warned there would not be an immediate end to the seizure of foreign workers.

Also supportive of crude prices is news of a potential strike by oil workers in Brazil. Workers at state-run oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras, may go on a five-day strike beginning July 5, Brazil's main oil workers' union said in a news release.

"In a bullish market, every thimble full of oil counts," said Peter Beutel, president of U.S. energy risk management firm Cameron Hanover. "Every little bullish feature will loom large."

Traders are also looking ahead to the weekly inventory report from the Energy Information Administration due out Wednesday. According to analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires, gasoline supplies, which were unchanged in last week's report at 201.5 million barrels, are expected to increase by an average of 1 million barrels.

A rash of refinery disruptions in the last several months have reduced gasoline supplies, which have been at the low end of historical averages during the summer driving season.

Refinery utilization is expected to increase by an average of 0.6 percentage point to 89.8 percent of capacity, following two straight weeks of declines.

Analysts estimate an average gain of 900,000 barrels to 123.5 million barrels for distillate stocks, which include heating oil and diesel fuel. Oil inventories are expected to fall by an average of 150,000 barrels.

Brent crude lost 34 cents to close at $71.84 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other trading on the Nymex, gasoline futures slipped 2.97 cents to settle at $2.2346 a gallon. Heating oil futures dropped 0.74 cent to end at $2.0268 a gallon, and natural gas prices fell 17.1 cents to $7.519 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Nigerian Army Deploys More Troops in Niger Delta (Daily Sun)

The Nigerian Army has sent more troops to drive militants from an oil plant they have occupied in Bayelsa State since they abducted 27 people there at the weekend.

"Following the reverses we have suffered in our attempt to secure the platform with minimum force, we decided to increase the number of our troops and the grade of armament, so as to save a very bad situation," a military officer told AFP on Tuesday, on condition of anonymity.

Suspected rebels attacked a flow station operated by Agip, a subsidiary of Italian oil company, Eni, in the southern Bayelsa State on Sunday in what military sources said was a reprisal for last week's killing of nine militants by soldiers.

Eni said that 16 of its Nigerian employees and 11 soldiers guarding the facility had been seized in the attack while another eight employees and 40 soldiers escaped.

An industry source, meanwhile, said on Tuesday, he doubted the soldiers would be able to dislodge the militants from the facility. "It won’t be an easy task to dislodge the boys. What they do is that they mine the platform as soon as they take it over, and they challenge the soldiers to dare (to) fire a shot. If a shot is fired, the entire area will go up in flames," the source said.

Kidnappings and armed attacks have intensified in the Niger Delta region, where some 200 foreigners and scores of Nigerians have been abducted since the start of 2006. These kidnappings, coupled with acts of vandalism and sabotage, have cost Nigeria an annual revenue loss of 4.4 billion dollars.

Asari - "I can't stop hostage taking" (Vanguard)

Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, leader of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDVF), says he is not in a position to stop hostage taking by militants in the Niger Delta.

He told reporters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, yesterday that he could not stop the act, “since it was precipitated by the Federal Government."

The NDVF leader said it was the responsibility of the Federal Government to take appropriate measures to stop the trend.

He, however, said he had been rallying the various militant groups in the Niger Delta to find a lasting solution to commercial hostage taking and forge a common front for advancement of the region’s struggle.

Speaking at a reception held in his honour by Niger Deltans in Lagos, he said he had spoken to leaders of some Niger Delta militant groups including Ateke Tom and that soon a meeting would be held to fashion out a way forward for the region.

He also solicited support for Vice President Goodluck Jonathan whom he described as “a good man,” adding that Jonathan’s emergence as the nation’s Vice President had put a “K-leg” in the Niger Delta Struggle.

“On the issue of hostage-taking, I want to condemn it in all its ramifications. It is not because anybody asked me to condemn it. You cannot claim to be doing justice when you are doing injustice to another person. The people who came to work in the Niger Delta were brought by an unjust law,” he said, adding: “When you catch people and you confine them and you ask for money not for the struggle, it is sinful. If it is for the struggle, it is a different matter.”

He also asked for the release of MASSOB leader, Chief Ralph Uwazurike, saying his (Dokubo’s) freedom would not be complete without the release of Uwazurike.

Dokubo, accompanied by his lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, also reiterated his position that former President Olusegun Obasanjo be prosecuted for his evil deeds while in power. He insisted that the former President must be made to account for all monies made during his eight-year administration, adding that the nation has not felt the impact of huge sums of money made during Obasanjo’s administration.

Coordinator of Ijaw Monitoring Group, organisers of the reception, Mr Joseph Evah, said Dokubo was in Lagos to thank the press, the civil society and the Niger Delta people for their role in ensuring that he regained his freedom. He said the struggle in the region had just begun.

Speakers at the reception included Comrade Ayodele Akele, Festus Keyamo, representatives of the Arewa Youths Forum, Oodua People’s Congress, MASSOB, Northern Friends of the Niger Delta, among others.

On what he was expecting from the Yar’Adua’s government, Dokubo said the only solution to the problems of Nigeria was the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference, adding that Nigerians were ready to dialogue on the future of the country.

According to him, the leadership of the country had always shied away from dialogue because many want the status quo of oppression and suppression to continue.

Former Governor of Lagos State Praises Asari Dokubo (Vanguard)

The immediate past Governor of Lagos State, Sen Bola Tinubu has faulted the existence of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as a panacea to solving the Niger Delta problems, saying it is not the solution to the region.

Tinubu, who spoke during a “thank you” visit on him at his Lagos residence by the just released leader of the NDPVF Asari Dokubu explained that the commission is just “a patronage organization which can not solve the problem” of the region.

He emphasized that it is by conveying “a forum of the stake holders, which would involve the oil companies, leaders of thought and traditional ruler in the area” that a lasting solution can be found to the recurring problem.

He praised Dokubo for his unrelenting efforts towards the cause of his people despite his 21 months incarceration, while asking Dokubo to immediately seek medical attention.

“We are the same; we work towards the same goal. We have a common conviction.
“You have been honest in your cause. But you have ill-health; you need to urgently take care of yourself.

“It is agreed unanimously that there is high degree of environmental degradation and high degree of injustice. We must come together to find a permanent solution that would promote the emancipation of our people.

Responding, Dokubo thanked Tinubu for his support, pledging to be steadfast in the quest to salvage the people of the area, saying “I cannot be free when my people are still in bondage”.

Dokubo recalled Tinubu’s humanitarian gesture towards his family while he was in detention and apologized to the former governor for turning down some of his offers.

“I want to thank you for the love you showed to my family. When I was in detention, you provided accommodation for my wife and children in Lagos and you paid my children’s school fees.

“We have never met but you showed me love. I am sorry that I asked my wife not take up the accommodation. It is not out of disrespect.

“It is only proper that my family remain within our locality to continue the struggle.

“If they had moved to Lagos, people will say they fled and the struggle would have been defeated”, the militant leader said.

He emphasized that “no amount of intimidation, detention, or killings would make me abandon this cause”.

Earlier, the facilitator of the visit, Prince Tonye Princewill, who was the gubernatorial candidate of the Action Congress (AC) in Rivers state during the last April polls, urged the duo of Tinubu and Dokubo to build a common front in other to achieve democratic goals for the citizenry.

“You have both faced intimidation, you have both been oppressed by a dictatorial government and your coming together to face a common enemy will make Nigeria a better place to live in”, Princewill said.

As Other Companies Flee, KBR Opens a Nigeria Office in Lagos

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KBR (NYSE:KBR) announced today the founding of KBR Nigeria Ltd. in Lagos, Nigeria. The establishment of KBR Nigeria Ltd. will enable KBR to more fully support its Nigerian customers and further its commitment to meeting the country’s goals for increased local content.

KBR has a 30-year history working in Nigeria and a continuous presence for the last 15 years, which includes ongoing EPC work for the country’s major LNG projects and for its first GTL facility. KBR has additionally performed work for a number of Nigeria’s refining, ammonia, and onshore and offshore oil and gas production and processing projects.

The Nigeria operation will enable KBR to build local support for its clients while ensuring close coordination with its global engineering centers. “Our decision to establish KBR Nigeria Ltd. is strongly aligned with our commitment to helping develop local capabilities and delivering world-class projects in Nigeria and in all of the places where we serve our clients,” said John Rose, executive vice president, KBR. “KBR Nigeria Ltd. will allow us to more fully integrate local engineering talent while maintaining close coordination with our global execution centers to support our ongoing projects.”

The joint venture team of KBR, JGC, Technip and Snamprogetti, was recently awarded the project specification/front end engineering and design (FEED) contract for the Nigeria LNG (NLNG) SevenPlus project, to be constructed at Bonny Island, Nigeria. NLNG is a partnership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Shell, Total and ENI. The award of the FEED is part of a competitive bid for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract, which is expected to be awarded by the end of 2007. The joint venture of KBR, JGC, Technip and Snamprogetti was chosen to design and build the first six trains for NLNG, beginning in 1989. Trains one through five are complete, and train six is under construction and is expected to be completed on schedule by the end of 2007.

KBR is a global engineering, construction and services company supporting the energy, petrochemicals, government services and civil infrastructure sectors. We offer our wide range of services through our Energy and Chemicals (E&C), Government and Infrastructure (G&I), and Ventures business segments. For more information, visit www.kbr.com.

Nigeria Security Update #2 190607

Dokubo-Asari Looking More Like a Freedom-Fighter Every Day - My View

There is no doubt in my mind that newly elected president of Nigeria, Umara Yar'Adua regrets releasing Mujahid Dokubo-Asari from custody last Friday. What was billed as a humanitarian gesture for medical reasons and was contingent on Asari's promise to be cooperative turned into a ticking time bomb.

Several months ago, I wrote in the newsletter that preceded this blog, that I thought the only way the troubles in the Niger Delta would end would be through a civil war. During the past week, fire fights between the Nigerian Army and the militants proved the young Ijaw men fighting for their nation's right to survive are much better soldiers than the troops the Federal Government has sent to the swamps. Their victories over professional soldiers has to bolster their morale.

Now I will make another prediction. If Yar'Adua does not rearrest or eliminate Asari altogether, the militant leader will foment more and more violence that will make what MEND started in January 2006 look like a Boy Scout jamboree. Of course the government is between a rock and a hard place.

Asari is a dangerous man alive and a martyr dead. He also appears to be much more ethical than the previous president. It remains to be seen exactly how corrupt Yar'Adua is, but the fact he was Obasanjo's hand picked replacement does not bode well for Nigeria.

As for a solution to the problems of the Niger Delta, I don't believe the answer is to wait on a corrupt government to do the right thing. I believe the Ijaw nation and its supporters from other tribes are doing the only thing they can, fighting for the liberation of their lands and survival of their people.

As the citizen of a country that earned its own liberty and freedom by force, I wish them well.


Dokubo-Asari Tells Expatriates to Leave the Niger Delta Now

Leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, on Sunday blamed the kidnap of foreign oil workers on their refusal to leave the region despite several warnings by militants.

He reiterated to journalists in Port Harcourt that the expatriates have no reason to stay back when the owners of the land have asked them to go.

"We asked them to leave our land," he recalled, "but they refused and sided with the Nigerian military, believing the Army would protect them.

"The foreign oil workers should leave our land peacefully and come back when we might have resolved our differences with the government".

Although Dokubo decried hostage taking, he explained that the problem has gone beyond what a single individual like himself could stop overnight.

He accused the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo of instigating the Niger Delta violence to extend his tenure and further destabilise the Ijaw.

He implored Abuja to also find an answer to the conflict.

Dokubo described the Obasanjo government as "the most corrupt in the history of Nigeria because it made more money than any other but ended up having nothing to show to the people after eight years in office.

"I will fight Obasanjo to a standstill by leading the campaign for him to be brought to justice to account for gross human rights abuses, corruption and maladministration from 1999 to 2007".

He warned that unless Obasanjo and all Governors who stole from the treasury are brought to book, there would be no peace in Nigeria and the Niger Delta in particular,

"Obasanjo used his position to enrich six Nigerian entrepreneurs through the oil resources of the Niger Delta, with five Yoruba and a Northerner as direct beneficiaries, to the detriment of the people of the Niger Delta".

Dokubo also castigated Obasanjo for diverting resources from the region to build the OKNLG in his home state of Ogun while the Brass LNG is yet to come on stream.

"We shall see if the OKNLG will work. If the Kaduna Refinery has worked, then the OKLNG will work. Let us just wait and see. We can only allow it to function if they give us justice and allow us to control our resources.

"You cannot threaten us with the military and turn round to divert our resources to empower a few persons when the owners are dying of hunger and environmental problems".

He promised to carry on with the struggle for self determination for the Niger Delta, and said he is ready to lay down his life to ensure freedom and justice for his people.

"I am not afraid to die for the people, having reached the age of 43 and taken the cause of the Ijaw to a point from which I cannot retreat".

Would he support the administration of President Umaru Yar’Adua and his Deputy, Goodluck Jonathan?

Dokubo said he has nothing to do with any government and would only watch the actions and utterances of the two men to inform his decisions.

On the issue of bail conditions given him by the court, he insisted that he is not a party to any agreement and not bound by anything, as he is neither a politician nor a militant but "an Ijaw nationalist".

A few hours before Dokubo spoke in Port Harcourt, militants had invaded a facility belonging to Agip in Ogboinbiri, Bayelsa State, where they overpowered troops of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in a shoot-out.

The soldiers were chased away and it seemed no life was lost in the attack, which could be a revenge for the nine militants killed by the JTF last Wednesday in Ogboinbiri.

JTF Public Relations Officer, Major Ochugwuba Omale, confirmed that the soldiers were over-powered in the gun duel.

The Movement Of The Niger Delta People (MONDP) later issued a statement that the release of Dokubo is not enough to end the conflict.

"Although we are quite pleased with the release of our leader, we want to warn that the multinational companies operating in the area should not use this as an excuse to continue with the non-challant way they carried on before the commencement of our pro-active actions", the statement, signed by MONDP spokesman, Preye Amazo, said.

"We have earlier demanded that they review their operational policies in the area towards their host communities and we are still insisting on this as a criterion to ensure the total cessation of all hostilities.

"We enjoin the multinational companies to be advised and motivated by the example shown … by Umaru Yar'adua in releasing (Dokubo). This act of 'Good Faith' must be replicated by the multinationals if lasting peace is to be achieved in the Niger Delta.

"In the interim, we have commenced modalities for the release of the expatriates in our custody. We make no firm promises, but we are quite confident that (they) will regain their freedom as soon as possible.

"The expatriates are Jan Van De Mortel (Dutch), James Thorburn (British), Massaoud Ahmadi (French), and Salman Ahmad (Pakistani)".


Asari --- I will fight Obasanjo (Vanguard)

President Umar Yar' Adua has been told to constitute a public enquiry into the eight years rule of former president Olusegun Obasanjo. Describing Obasanjo administration as the most corrupt in the nation’s political history, Asari Dokubo who spoke to newsmen yesterday in Port Harcourt said he had made a covenant with his creator to see that Obasanjo is called to answer for his deeds as president.

“I will fight Obasanjo until he is brought to justice for his abuse of human rights, corruption. His government is the most corrupt in the country. His government made more money than any other past administration yet in the eight years of the administration the kleptomaniac government could not give roads, nothing to show for it. If we don’t bring Obasanjo to justice there will be no way the country can move forward.”

“He invested N1.3 trillion in the power sector yet he could not generate more than 3,000 megawatts. He destroyed Nigeria . Known criminals were in his government. I have made a contract with my God that I will fight Obasanjo until he is brought to justice.

“Obasanjo wanted to bribe me. He said he would give me one oil block, I rejected, he offered me Director of Youth, NDDC, I rejected. If it is money I am looking for, there is so much in the creeks. This angered Obasanjo and he said I should be left to die if I want to die in that place.

“I have no personal problem with Obasanjo. I started having problem with him when he stood against Ijaw people. We will fight Obasanjo for gross abuse of human rights. There are thousands of people in chains in the SSS cell. We will continue to campaign until Nigerians demand for a public enquiry”.

He described his prison experience as one of the most challenging period of his life, saying it drew him closer to his creator and also made him fit physically. “I was weighing 139 before detention but now I am weighing 87. I don’t know if I have added since Thursday when I was released.

He also asked expatriates working in the Niger Delta to immediately vacate the region until problems in the nation’s federalism were fully resolved.

Nigeria Security Update #1 190607

11 Soldiers Dead, 16 AGIP Workers Held as "POWs" (This Day)

The Federal Government yesterday ordered the deployment of more troops to Ogboinbiri community in Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa State. This followed the humiliating defeat suffered in the hands of militants by men of the Nigerian Army at the Ogboinbiri flow station belonging to Italian oil company, Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) on Sunday.

In Rivers, the Deputy Governor of the State, Engineer Tele Ikuru, lamented yesterday that over 80 percent of businesses in Port Harcourt had closeddown over the attacks by youths on their staff.

The decision to deploy the troops follows the take-over of the flow station by the militants who reportedly killed over 11 soldiers in the battle for the control of the facility which produces over 40,000 barrels of oil per day. There was no official confirmation of the casualty figures.

THISDAY checks revealed that the eight gun boats loaded with over 200 soldiers left Warri and Yenagoa for Ogboinbiri yesterday in the bid to recover the facility and retrieve the bodies of soldiers reportedly killed and those held as Prisoners of War (PoW) by the militants who are still occupying the flow station.

Meanwhile, NAOC has raised alarm that 16 of its workers working aboard the flow station have been held as “prisoners of war” by the militants. Agip said there were 51 soldiers and 24 local workers aboard the facility when it was over run by militants on Sunday.

The men who are indigenes of the area may have been caught in the crossfire between the soldiers and the militants.

At press time, it could not be ascertained if any of the workers was killed or wounded during the eight-hour battle that dislodged the soldiers from the facility.

The 16 were left by NAOC to take care of the flow station following the evacuation of the facility company soon after nine militants were killed by soldiers last week Tuesday.

Even as more troops have been deployed to the spot, the owners of the facility are said to have pleaded with the government to engage the boys in dialogue instead resorting to a military option.

The pleading of the company, a source said, was predicated on the premise that other facilities owned by the company may be attacked by the boys.

Men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) had, Tuesday last week, killed nine militants at the Ogboinbiri flow station. Angered at the action, the militants reportedly wrote a letter promising to engage the JTF in a battle. In the reprisal mission which took place on Sunday, the militants had successfully dislodged the soldiers from the facility.

In Rivers, the Deputy Governor has called for intervention of local communities to put hostage-taking in check. According to him, the situation has accentuated the unemployment problem of the state as well as slowed down the economic growth of the state.

Ikuru stated this while playing host to the Eminent Peoples Forum in Port Harcourt where he insisted that hostage taking and other allied criminal activities were exerting a negative pressure on the intention of the state to grow a robust economy.

“Rivers State has become a carcass of itself; go to Trans-Amadi and you will see that about 80 percent of companies have closed down, not because of their inability to manage their business properly but because of the demonic activities of our youths working in concert with those from outside,” Ikuru said.

The Deputy Governor told the group that some of the contracts that were awarded by the State were yet to commence because of the fear for the safety of the expatriates engaged to execute the contracts.

He particularly regretted the inability of the contractors handling the Trans Kalabari highway, drainage projects, rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt International Airport and water reticulation projects in the state who had to pull out of site owing to threat of kidnap of their workers.

To him, the problem has become so hydra headed that it required a multi-dimensional approach which he assured that on the part of government, they were putting together a team to work out modalities of reintegrating the restive you-ths into normal society.

He said the closest example of avoidable problem hostage taking was taking manifested in the stoppage of production by Indorama which had employed many Niger Delta youths before they were forced to close down because of incessant kidnap of their staff.

Earlier in his speech, Chairman of the Forum, Chief Philitus Warmate expressed the readiness of his group to address the issue and commended the federal government for the release of Mujahid Dokubo Asari which he said would help to stem restiveness.

Chevron Forced to Cut Production (Media Reports)

The invasion of western Niger Delta Abiteye flow station has forced Chevron Nigeria Limited to again cut 42,000 barrels per day of crude oil production yesterday.

The joint venture company, Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC)/Chevron Joint Venture confirmed the attack, saying at least 20 gun men invaded the station on Sunday.

"The situation is presently under control, as the company will continue to closely monitor the area and ensure tighter security," the company's Spokes-man, Michael Barrett said.

In another development, gunmen attacked a flow station operated by Eni, mother company of Agip, holding workers and some military men hostage.

Last month, the company lost 42,000 barrels per day (bpd), as villagers carrying sticks and machetes staged a protest against the company's oil production facility, forcing it to halt its output.

The attack on its Abiteye flow station, which feeds the 160,000 bpd Escravos export terminal, was said to be as a result of delay in compensation for an oil spill in the area.

However, an eyewitness who confirmed the incident said there was a community protest, with people carrying sticks and machetes, but the place was full of government security forces drafted in over the weekend.

According to the company Spokesperson, Femi Odumabo, peace talks have already began and the company expects the crisis to be resolved as soon as possible, he said, adding that community leaders and elders have been very supportive of the company and are already intervening to see that the issue is brought under control.

Spills, which is a source of constant friction between oil companies and communities, is said to be caused by criminals who illegally tap oil from pipelines.

Militants Demand Money for Hostages But Would Take Recharge Cards

The armed gang that abducted three Indians and a Pole in Sapele, Delta State, last Friday has demanded for N170 million ransom for their release.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the kidnappers called the chief accountant of the rubber firm that engaged the services of the foreigners on the phone in the early hours of Monday and demanded for the huge sum.

A security source disclosed that it became obvious that the kidnappers did not belong to any of the groups that claimed to be fighting for the Niger Delta cause when they also requested for recharge cards from the accountant.

“One of the kidnappers called the chief accountant of the rubber firm with the mobile phone of one of their captives and demanded for N170 million.

“When the chief accountant said he could not release such amount without the approval of the management, they then requested that recharge cards be sent to them immediately”, the sources disclosed.

It was further learnt that the militants were so desperate that they were prepared to release the hostages last night provided they could make some money from their crime.

“In fact, they want some little money out of this particular case. It is like they don’t have money to continue with the business,” the source said.

Villagers Occupy Oil Production Facility (Reuters)

Hundreds of angry villagers chased workers away from an oil-transfer facility Monday in restive southern Nigeria and occupied the premises in hopes of forcing payment from the oil industry, officials said.

Elsewhere in the Niger Delta, gunmen were holding some two dozen Nigerian workers and security forces hostage at another flow station that had been overrun Sunday.

Authorities hadn't been able to access the interior of that facility and had no information on any casualties among the hostages, said Brig. Gen. Lawrence Ngubane, a military commander in the Niger Delta.

He said the invaders were threatening to blow up the station if security forces came near. Gunmen and troops battled in the area last week, leaving several gunmen dead.

ENI SpA, whose subsidiary Agip runs the facility, confirmed that the installation had been overrun but gave no information on whether oil had stopped running through it. Agip officials in Nigeria had no immediate comment.

In the protest occupation that flared Monday, rough estimates showed nearly 1,000 people at the flow station outside the main city of Warri, said Ngubane.

The villagers want money they say they're owed by U.S.-based Chevron Corp., which runs the facility, for restitution after an oil spill in their area, he said. Chevron officials weren't immediately available for comment.

Hundreds of flow stations dot the Niger Delta where Nigerian crude is pumped. The stations connect the tubes leading from wells into larger pipeline arteries that carry the crude oil to export terminals.

Protest occupations of oil facilities are common in the region, which remains deeply poor despite the vast natural bounty.

Nearly two years of spiraling violence in the oil-producing southern Niger Delta have cut Nigeria's crude output by about one quarter, sending oil prices higher in overseas markets.

New President Umaru Yar'Adua has said the crisis is one of the most-pressing matters he faces, and a top militant leader was released on bail last week, marking a breakthrough in the conflict pitting militants against security forces.

The militants are pressing for more government-controlled, oil-industry funds for their region, which remains desperately poor despite its vast natural bounty.

But their stepped-up attacks have helped degrade overall security conditions in the vast region of creeks and swamps, and criminal gangs who kidnap foreigners now operate with apparent impunity. Some 200 foreign workers in the region have been kidnapped since December 2005, including more than 100 this year alone.

In addition, tension over local grievances -- such as a community accusing an oil company of failing to make good on promises of financial help -- sometimes results in attacks or kidnappings.

Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer and one of the top overseas suppliers to the United States.

In the capital Monday, labor unions called for a general nationwide strike to protest a government price hike on automobile fuel. The strike is to begin Wednesday, and the unions said it would continue until the increase is repealed.

Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered the 15 percent fuel-price hike in the last days of his administration, which ended May 29 with President Umaru Yar'Adua's inauguration.

Nationwide Strike Averted? (This Day)

After a late-night meeting between the Federal Government and labour leaders and civil society groups, government has agreed to reduce by N5 the pump price of petrol from the present N75 per litre. It sold for N65 before the increase.

Government also offered to suspend the implementation of the increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) from 5 per cent to 10 per cent. The prices of diesel and kerosene are also to sell at old prices.

As for the controversial sale of Kaduna and Port Harcourt Refineries, government has directed the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to go into further negotiations with labour on how to resolve the issue.

It was also learnt that government pledged that the 15 per cent salary increase demanded by labour would take effect from January 2007.

These were the highglights of the discussions between the federal government and labour leaders in Abuja yesterday, THISDAY learnt last night.

Although there was no official statement last night on the new dispensation, labour leaders said they would meet this morning to consider the latest offer by government and decide on the next line of action.

A senior official of the NLC told THISDAY last night that Labour was not satisfied that fuel price was not reverted to the original price. “We are not happy with that aspect,” he said, arguing that the unions were hoping to capitalise on the “legitimacy crisis” of the Yar’Adua government to get a better bargain as the government could not afford a major crisis at this stage of its life.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigerian (IPMAN), however, called off its five-day old strike, which had virtually paralysed economic activities.

Negotiations between government and labour had earlier broken down following which the two major labour unions in the country - Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) - yesterday called on Nigerians to embark on an indefinite strike beginning from tomorrow.

But the FG in a response to labour four-point demand issued by Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, Spokesman to President Umaru Yar’Adua, said: “Having taken note of the decision by the NLC, TUC and JAF to declare an indefinite general strike as from Wednesday, June 20, 2007 if their four point-demand is not met, Government held talks this evening with their representatives and presented a formal response to the demands.

“The meeting ended with the unions promising to study the response and make a fresh position known by tomorrow when it is hoped that the threat of a nationwide strike will be lifted in the interest of all Nigerians.

“Government wishes to assure all Nigerians that it is well aware of the hardships being currently experienced by ordinary people in the country and is fully committed to doing everything possible to improve their living conditions.

“This resolve was underscored by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in his inaugural address on May 29 this year when he said: ‘Let us join together to ease the pains of today while working for the gains of tomorrow.’”

In its demand, the organized labour had asked government to revert the pump price of petrol from N75 per litre to N65, VAT from 10 per cent to its original 5 per cent, implement the 15 per cent increase in salary and review the sale of Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries.

On its part, the government had asked for more time to consider the demands.

The pump price of petrol and VAT rate were increased by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the eve of his handing over to the new President Yar’Adua.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja early yesterday at the end of a joint National Executive Council meeting of NLC, TUC and Civil Society groups, the NLC President, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, had said the coalition would with effect from Wednesday June 20, 2007 embark on an indefinite general strike and mass protests throughout the country to draw positive attention of government to their demands.

But shortly after the press conference, the State Security Service (SSS) invited TUC President, Comrade Peter Esele, for a chat.

THISDAY findings revealed that it was just a routine chat and an “indirect call for dialogue” to continue with the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the impasse.

It was gathered that government had started making frantic moves to stave off the strike.
Presidency sources said government had directed its negotiating team to engage the labour and its allies even before the rescheduled meeting date of Thursday.

Omar said Labour's latest action was precipitated by the untold hardship and suffering Nigerians had been subjected to in recent times following price increases in petrol and VAT and government's apparent reluctance in listening to the cries of the people.

He said the suffering of Nigerians had been compounded by the imposition of additional burden of price increases of petrol and kerosene, a 100% increase in VAT and the suspension of the 15 per cent salary increase in the country meant to cushion the effects of biting hunger and deepening mass poverty.

"Nigerians can no longer continue to suffer in the midst o plenty. They no longer want to live under sub-human conditions. So with effect from Wednesday 20th June 2007, an indefinite general strike and mass protests by Nigerians will commence," he had said.
He said Labour had tried all in its power to let the government see reason and ally with the Nigerian people rather than imprison itself in the anti-people and pro-poverty policies and programmes.

The NLC President however regretted that government was rather desperately trying to claim “paternity” of the immediate past President Obasanjo regime's punishing policies.
According to him, as part of the implementation of the industrial action, all offices, ports, banks, petrol stations and business premises were to be shut down, while all schools, airports, official and semi official business premises were to be closed down. Vehicles, particularly commercial ones, were to off the roads.

He said the strike would be peaceful but that any bank, fuel station, factory or office that defied the strike directive would be “responsible” for its action.

Omar said contrary to speculations, the strike and protests would not be called off until government addressed positively the unions’ four-point demand.

At the press conference which had Esele and NUPENG President Mr. Peter Akpatason, in attendance, the coalition advised parents and guardians not to send their children to school as teachers had given a firm commitment that they would not teach.

"School children should therefore not be allowed to roam streets that may be unsafe," they warned.

Justifying their declaration of strike, the labour unions said efforts to get the Federal Government to reason with them did not yield any fruit, adding that instead the authorities stuck to its gun.

"We wrote a four-page letter to President Yar'Adua on June 1st articulating the feeling and interests of the populace and asking for succour.

"Also in the last two weeks, we have held formal meetings with government teams led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Unfortunately, these meetings have not been fruitful," Omar said.

The communiqué jointly signed by Omar, Esele and Chairman Joint Action Forum, Dr. Dipo Fashina, accused the management of NNPC of fueling the crisis through the provocative statement it issued on the petrol price hike.

According to the coalition, "NNPC arrogantly went on air to say that fuel prices would rise to N230 per litre and that even if Nigerians went on strike and mass protests for ten years nothing would change.

"We have refused to be provoked because we discern that the management of NNPC plans to derail the democratic process in the country," the group said.

Asari Wants Petroleum Minister to be from Delta (Business Day)

Speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt on his arrival from Abuja at the weekend Asari reiterated his call for a sovereign national conference where the basis of the country’s nationhood would be discoursed by all the ethnic nationalities that make up the country.

Asari who was granted bail last week by an Abuja High Court says he is not aware of any conditions surrounding his release.

An Abuja High Court last week granted Asari bail on health grounds with several conditions attached but the NDPVF leader said he was unaware of such conditions.

He arrived the Port Harcourt air force base around 11am Saturday aboard a chattered plane of the Associated Airlines and went straight to the home of a prominent politician in Rivers state.

Asari had earlier after he was granted bail by the court condemned the act of hostage taking and kidnap of expatriates workers in the Niger Delta describing it as evil.

Large crowd of people turned out to catch a glimpse of Asari causing a traffic hold up at the Air force base axis of the Ph-Aba expressway.

However many of the admirers were disappointed as Asari could not wait to address them but was taken straight to the home of a prominent politician in Rivers state.

But in an apparent show of appreciation to the federal government for the release of Asari the militants also yesterday announced an end to all hostage taking and kidnapping of expatriates.

Ten Idians staff of Indorama-new owners of the Eleme Petrochemical Company Limited including their Managing Director who were abducted about two weeks ago were released to the Rivers state governor Celestine Omehia, Saturday afternoon.

Ateke Tom, leader of the Niger Delta Vigilnte afaction of the militant groups in a statement issued at the weekend offered to collaborate with efforts at ending kidnap of expatriates in the Niger Delta.

Crime Breaks Out Again in Lagos Markets (Daily Trust)

For the sixth time in three months confusion enveloped some popular markets and motor parks in Lagos last Wednesday following the resurgence of fight between gangs of area boys.

Our reporters who witnessed the clashes at the ever busy Oshodi market noted some supporters of one M.C. Musiliu, believed to be a notorious Oshodi gang leader, stormed the market, brandishing cutlasses, knives and other dangerous weapons in a bid to take control from another group.

"There was pandemonium as traders and commuters ran helter-skelter for dear lives. In the process, goods especially, perishable items worth thousands of naira were destroyed", says Muftau Adegoke, a resident who witnessed the clash.

Another eyewitness who identified himself as Sumaila Ade told Oodua Trust that the fighting was between NURTW members seeking to upstage one another in the motor parks.

He disclosed that the confusion was caused by supporters of the factional chairman of NURTW in the state, Mr. Saka Saula who attempted to take over a motor park belonging to the opposing faction in the area.

"They came with cutlasses, guns, knives and bottles and started attacking people. So people were running helter-skelter to escape being killed," Sumaila narrated.

Investigations also revealed that the fighting which had spread to Onipanu, Yaba and Ojota in the last two months was however contained by anti-riot policemen from the state police command.

The cops who stormed Oshodi and other battle grounds in personnel armour carrier dispersed the combatants and took control of the affected areas. Before then, the hoodlums had unleashed terror on innocent traders and destroyed shops.

The anti-riot policemen restored normalcy to the area as at the time of filing this report and confirmed that some miscreants were arrested in connection with the clashes.

Fighting broke out in the area three weeks ago when opponents of M.C. Musiliu attempted to dislodge him from the park. Traders lost goods worth thousands of naira as their shops were set ablaze by the rampaging area boys. Vehicles were also set ablaze during the gang war.

Following the constant gang wars in Idumota and other parts of Lagos Island, residents, now live in fear, investigations has revealed. Worse still, residents of the areas where the gang wars have become a regular feature now make sure they are in their respective homes as early as 8pm while drinking joints close as early as 7.30pm, Oodua Trust learnt.

Also, car owners have been moving their vehicles out of Lagos due to the fear of vandalisation, while those whose vehicles were damaged have vowed not to venture near Lagos Island again.

The first son of the late Ayinde Bakare, Shina Ayinde Bakare, who recently fell victim to the rampaging social miscreants, had his car, a Datsun saloon car, badly damaged.

Ayinde Bakare said: "The daily clash among the area boys is very disturbing and if something drastic is not done, they may start entering our houses to kill us. Each time they clash, people and cars are always their target."

Another victim, whose Mercedes Benz Jeep was destroyed during one of the clashes, vowed never to buy another one until the situation improves.

"Imagine, they perpetrate all these atrocities without being checked by the policemen. The situation is so bad. The first time my car was damaged. I lost my mobile phone during another attack," he lamented.

On Monday, Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola set up a twelve-man committee headed by former Inspector-General of Police, Musiliu Smith to fashion out ways of reducing crime in the state.