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 #4 200607

Labor Leaders Vow to Continue Strike (DPA, Forbes)

Boys juggled soccer balls in deserted streets and cars jockeyed for position at filling stations Wednesday as Nigeria's labor unions launched a strike aimed at overturning government price hikes on gasoline in Africa's oil giant.

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

Heavy government subsidies keep reimported petroleum products cheap in a country whose citizens complain they get little else in the way of services from a notoriously corrupt government. Unions launched their strike in hopes of forcing the government to roll back a 15 percent increase on automobile fuel.

"Our government makes us suffer too much. They never do anything to release our pain, they just keep piling on more suffering," said Funmi Olowu, a 32-year-old school teacher. "I support the strike, I want it to go on until the government completely reverses the increases."

Oil receipts account for some 80 percent of Nigeria's total government revenue and the unions are threatening to close the taps of Nigeria's energy industry, which is the biggest in Africa and the eighth-largest worldwide, sending crude prices toward nine-month highs on international markets.

While there were no immediate reports that the first day of the strike halted oil exports, the strike appeared to hold in all the country's regions. In the Muslim north, union workers enforced the shutdown by turning commercial passenger buses away from main cities and in the capital, Abuja, they blockaded a main road with tires and tree branches.

On the streets of Lagos, banks, schools and larger businesses were shuttered. While salaried employees could afford to stay home, many petty traders continued selling their dried peppers, roasted corn and smoked fish. For them, a day without earnings likely means a night of hunger.

"The strike is justified. We can't be taken for granted. The masses are suffering," said Freewheel Finesi, who had declined to join the strike. The 51-year old was hurrying through empty streets, his briefcase filled with spectacles. "I have to go to work. I'm an optician and a man needs his glasses."

With fuel deliveries mostly shut down and filling stations empty, most cars stayed off the streets, calming Lagos' notorious traffic jams - the furious, fuming pileups known as "go-slows" that typify the daily commutes in an overcrowded megalopolis of 13 million.

Boys converted empty streets into soccer pitches, sending shots between goal posts made of wooden stools that would normally seat the keepers of nearby market stalls. Others juggled balls alone, sending them bouncing from feet to thighs, to shoulders then onto upended foreheads.

Vehicles jostled for pole position at the few filling stations still selling fuel. Many customers cursed signs that still carried the official price - 75 naira, or about 60 cents, per liter.

Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo jacked the price up only days before handing over power on May 29 to Yar'Adua, who prevailed in elections rejected as rigged by the opposition and deemed not credible by international observers. Obasanjo stepped down because of term limits; Yar'Adua was the candidate of Obasanjo's party.

Yar'Adua's new administration, its legitimacy undermined by the accusations of a flawed election, engaged the unions and offered to roll back the 15 percent fuel price increase by about half - despite the drain on government coffers that the subsidy represents. The government is trying to liberalize the economy and abolish anticompetitive tactics.

But in a move widely viewed as a probing tactic to gauge Yar'Adua's strength, the unions insisted on a complete repeal of the new measures, which also included Obasanjo's last-minute sale of two refineries to a pair of rich supporters.

Many Nigerians treated the first day of the strike as a welcome diversion from their daily duties, but warned that irritation would increase if supplies ran short due to an extended work stoppage.

For Finesi, the optician, less work was the opposite of what his countrymen need. "Why can't the government put on the refineries?" he asked, rhetorically. "It's just poor maintenance."

Nigeria's labour unions insisted the strike which began Wednesday would continue, with Labour Congress President Abdulwaheed Omar declaring: 'There is no going back.'

The opposition Action Congress party meanwhile berated the government's attitude to the strike as 'insensitive and arrogant'.

The strike impacted heavily on social service, but did not immediately affect crucial oil exports.

Workers in the crude-oil production sector went about their normal businesses, but an official of Anglo-Dutch oil giant, Shell, said there was no guarantee the situation would endure.

Secretary to government, Babagana Kingibe, had accused labour of intransigence and being uncooperative to dialogue with government. 'Government's charges are untenable and diversionary, Omar insisted.

He commended what he called 70 per cent compliance to the strike directives by Nigerians and said labour would move out early Thursday to ensure that compliance was total across the country.

Omar said the refusal by government to invite labour to another round of talks was another indication of its ignorance and said government was daring the Nigerian people.

The opposition Action Congress party, in a statement issued in Abuja by spokesman, Lai Mohammed, slammed a statement by Secretary to government Babagana Kingibe that the strike was partisan and designed to serve political ends.

Mohammed argued that 'only those who neither buy fuel for their vehicles nor shop locally with their hard-earned money could author such a careless statement as the one credited to Kingibe.'

He expressed dismay that President Umaru Yar'Adua's administration would want to 'cast aspersions on the integrity of labour leaders for taking up the gauntlet on behalf of the toiling masses, who have been pauperised by the anti-people policies of the immediate past government of President Olusegun Obasanjo'.

'Matters concerning fuel prices and VAT touch everybody, except top government officials, whose huge foreign travel allowance allow them to shop abroad when they travel, and whose cars are fuelled at the expense of the government,' Mohammed stressed.

AC reiterated its earlier call on government to move swiftly to meet the demand of the unions by cancelling the inexplicable hike in fuel prices and VAT rates, quickly implementing the 15 per cent salary increase for workers and reversing immediately the underhand sale of two key refineries and the ?Egbin' power station in Lagos.

Earlier in the day, Omar led a protest march of labour to picket petrol stations and banks that opened for business.

In the march was a Deputy Commissioner of Police in Abuja, Ade Shinaba, who led a team of policemen to ensure peace.

Shinaba told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that 12,000 policemen and women were deployed to the march 'to ensure that hoodlums do not hijack the exercise to foment trouble.'

He commended labour for ensuring that its protest march was held peacefully.

The NLC, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria and the Joint Action Forum, a coalition of civil society groups, had called an indefinite strike.

It was to demand for a reversal of pump price of petrol to 50 cents a litre, instead of the 59 cents a litre imposed by ex- President Olusegun Obasanjo 48 hours before he left office on May 29.

The strike was also to demand a reversal of value-added tax rate to 5 per cent instead of 10 per cent imposed by Obasanjo.

Labour also demanded a 15 per cent wage increase for government workers and the reversal of the sale of two of the country's refineries by Obasanjo.

President Umaru Yar'adua Tuesday conceded to the reversal of VAT rate, a 50 per cent decrease on the increase in the pump price of petrol and the payment of 15 per cent wage increase to workers, with effect from January.

Government, however, referred labour to the Bureau of Public Enterprises, in charge of its privatisation programme, for negotiations over the sale of the refineries.

Oil-rich Nigeria has no functional refinery and imports its petroleum products. In spite of its oil wealth, most Nigerians cannot make ends meet as they live on under one dollar a day.

Nigeria Security Update #3 200607

Strike Report (AFP)

A general strike gripped Nigeria Wednesday, posing the first significant test for the new president and putting oil markets on edge over possible disruption to supplies from one of the world's top crude exporters.

The main labour unions decided to go ahead with the strike after the government of President Umaru Yar'Adua, who was only sworn in late last month, refused to reverse a 15-percent hike in the price of petrol.

"The general strike and mass protest continue tomorrow (Thursday). As we have earlier announced, the strike will be indefinite until the federal government returns the price of petrol to 65 naira (0.51 dollars, 0.38 euros)," Abdulwaheed Omar, head of the blue-collar Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), told reporters.

He urged workers to set up compliance squads countrywide "to ensure all work places are shut down".

"The burden of fixing Nigeria and removing the landmines planted by former president Olusegun Obasanjo rests on President Yar'Adua. This responsibility cannot be shifted or repudiated merely on the excuse that the problems were inherited."

He was referring to a series of unpopular measures such as the fuel price hike introduced by Obasanjo in his last days in power.

"President Yar'Adua needs to appreciate that it is not a sign of weakness to listen to the people and act in accordance with their will," Omar added.

In the commercial capital Lagos, streets that are normally jammed were virtually free of traffic, with the impact of the strike worsened by heavy rain.

Some workers complained they had tried to come into work but said they had been turned back by union officials at impromptu roadblocks. Others said they could no longer afford the cost of transportation which has risen threefold in the past few days.

In the administrative capital Abuja only a few senior government officials showed up for work. Union officials turned out to enforce compliance with the strike, preventing some service stations selling fuel from doing so.

Union officials in the northern commercial capital Kano forced some shops to close and obliged passengers to get out of the few minibuses still circulating.

Most government schools were closed across the country, as were banks. Many flights were suspended or disrupted, but markets, street food stalls and some supermarkets stayed open.

By Monday fears of the walkout, which unions had been threatening for two weeks, and which could further hamper oil exports from Nigeria -- Africa's biggest oil producer and the world's sixth largest exporter -- had sent crude prices to their highest levels in nine months.

But initially at least there were no signs of production, much of which is offshore and automated, being affected.

"There's still no sign of anything being paralysed for the time being," one oil industry source said.

"There are no reports yet of a halt in exports," Shell's spokesman Precious Okolobo said.

"Our employees are complying with the strike action. There are no reported disruptions in production yet," said Chevron's spokesman Femi Odumabo.

A spokeswoman for Total likewise said production was not affected.

One quarter of Nigeria's total daily output of 2.6 million barrels is already lost due to unrest in the southern Niger delta region.

Union officials said it was just a matter of time until exports are hit.

"Compliance .. will come up gradually till it reaches its peak. This is just the beginning," Elijah Okougho, secretary- general of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the blue-collar oil workers' union, told AFP.

US Consulate Warden Message - Strike U.S. Embassy, ABUJA U.S. Consulate General LAGOS NIGERIA June 20, 2007 Warden Message Caution Advised for the Duration of Labor Strikes


This Warden message is being issued to advise American citizens that Nigerian labor leaders have called for nation-wide strikes beginning today, Wednesday June 20, 2007, to protest the recent increase in the price of petroleum products, taxes, and other related issues.

Strike actions have already taken place in Nigeria, public transportation has been disrupted, and many domestic airline flights have been delayed and cancelled. We have received reports of roads being blocked in and around Abuja as well as in other areas. Demonstrations have occurred in the vicinity of government offices in Abuja, and major transportation routes, and police have responded by clearing the blocked roadways. The duration and scope of these labor strikes are uncertain and have the potential to turn violent; therefore American citizens are urged to avoid areas of demonstrations if possible and to exercise extreme caution if within the vicinity of any demonstrations. The police are staffing checkpoints at strategic locations around the Lagos metropolitan area. Nonetheless, travelers should restrict their intra-city movements to essential travel only as the security environment could deteriorate rapidly and without prior notice.

In response to these events, effective immediately, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria has placed the following restrictions on all official personnel serving in Nigeria as follows: (1) no discretionary travel by road outside of the city limits of Abuja and Lagos, and (2) no discretionary domestic travel by air. This restriction will be in place until such time as the current situation improves and the Mission rescinds the restrictions.

Deliveries of gasoline have been delayed or suspended. Due to the likelihood of fuel shortages continuing for an indeterminate period, American citizens should conserve fuel and avoid unnecessary travel, and ensure that sufficient food supplies are available. Transportation may be severely affected, and additional police checkpoints are likely to appear on many roads.

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria advises all American citizens to exercise caution, avoid demonstrations and large crowds, and carefully assess local conditions and act accordingly. The United States Embassy in Abuja and the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos expect to remain open during this period of labor strikes; however, as conditions dictate, services may be limited or suspended. Any American citizen having consular business that cannot be postponed should contact the respective Consular Sections before coming to either the Embassy or Consulate General.

We have recommended that our staff evaluate their current personal contingency/emergency planning and at a minimum take the following precautions:

1) Fully fuel and inspect motor vehicles to ensure they are properly functioning;

2) Stock up on food and water so that you have sufficient stores to last several days;

3) Check locks and doors and remain in positive control over all keys to entry ways, doors, and locks;

4) Ensure mobile phones are fully charged; and

5) Have on hand a basic first aid kit.

We continue to advise all Americans to review their security procedures, remain vigilant to their surroundings, and report specific incidences of targeted violence to the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or the U. S. Consulate General in Lagos at the numbers below.

For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs internet website at http://travel.state.gov/, where the current Worldwide Caution, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings can be found. Up to date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. Federal Holidays.)

U.S. Embassy Abuja is located at Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central Business District, Abuja; the telephone number is 09-461-4000. E-Mail: ConsularAbuja@state.gov

Check Flight Information

Today at Mohammed Murtala International Airport -- Inbound KLM is delayed three hours and outgoing flight tonight is still on. KLM web site in Netherlands no update on cancelled flights. BA web site same.

Today -- Two Virgin flights to Lagos cancelled.
Today -- Emirates Air flight from Lagos will fly to, Kano for refueling and then to Dubai.

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.

Nigeria Security Update #2 180607

Is Asari's Release Enough? (Sunday Vanguard)

It was wild jubilation in most parts of Rivers State Thursday when news of the conditional release of the leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Alhaji Mujaheed Asari Dokubo, by an Abuja High Court filtered into the state. Asari, as he is fondly called, had spent exactly one year, eight months and twenty-five days in detention at the federal capital.

He was arrested in Port Harcourt at the headquarters of the Rivers State Police Command on Moscow Road on September 20, 2005. According to his wife, Hajia Mujahid Daaba Asari Dokubo, in an interview with this correspondent some time ago, her husband was taken ‘hostage’ by the police. She may have reached this conclusion because Asari merely responded to a police invitation for a chat that Tuesday when he was detained and later bundled into a waiting plane and flown to Abuja. And since that black day, as many of his followers styled that day, it had been one legal trick or the other by his captors to continue to keep him behind bars until last Thursday when the court granted him conditional release.

Asari, at a time, was vice president Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, under the leadership of Felix Tuodolor. He later rose to become the president after his former boss completed his tenure. Sources in Rivers State said that he was largely instrumental to the emergence of ex-Governor Peter Odili in the 2003 election but fell out of favour with the political leadership when he reportedly maintained that the state and the region did not vote for the out gone President Olusegun Obasanjo in that year’s election. This position, many said, was later largely responsible for his troubles.

He found himself after sometime fighting what many called the greatest battle of his life on a structure he created called the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force. This battle, some called a clash of cult groups, claimed several lives. It generated so much tension in the oil rich state to the extent that Obasanjo had to meet with the warring parties to seek out a common ground for peace. Asari later redirected his energy towards the crusade for resource control by his region. He joined forces with other similar organizations in this new agitation until he was arrested and tried for alleged treasonable felony.

Meanwhile, reactions have continued to trail the conditional release. President Ijaw National Congress, Professor Kimse Okoko, said the release would calm frayed nerves among the youths and also open windows for serious dialogue with the region on how to resolve the sad crisis in the area. But he explained that the release was not enough to ease tension occasioned by hostage takings in the region. His words: “It is a welcome development. It will help to cool frayed nerves as well as calm restive youths. The window has been opened for us to go into serious dialogue. We have put together what we consider absolutely necessary to move the nation forward.

“The struggle has been on before Asari went to prison, there were people who were there before he came in. Unfortunately, most of you do not know that there are various camps in this struggle aside Asari Dokubo. Asari Dokubo is not the main camp in the struggle, Asari appears to be the only visible known group of all the groups to majority of you.

The struggle continues because Asari is not the issue. There were and are still fundamental problems affecting the Niger Delta which we have been raising with successive governments. Asari is not the problem, he was unjustly incarcerated and we sought his release but it has nothing to do with the fundamental problems affecting the Niger Delta. What we are just saying is that his release is a good gesture on the part of the Federal Government, we can now, at least,sit down with them, talk and address those fundamental problems. Certainly, his release will not ease any tension, it will only give a kind of window to start the process of dialoguing with the Federal Government.”

Tuodolor said the release was not a development worth celebrating, as it was long overdue. Nevertheless, he hailed the step by the Federal Government but added that all charges against him should be dropped. “The development is welcomed but also long over due. We call on government to drop the charges against him. The release will contribute to the peace in the region. Criminals into hostage taking in his name will have no place to hide henceforth.

They will not have any reason to indulge in it again. Let it be on record that we are not thanking government for the release because in the first place there was no cause for the arrest. It was just an attempt to supress the struggle of the region. Again we want to use this opportunity to call on government to demilitarize the Niger Delta region. Just Friday some of our youths were killed by soldiers,” the founding IYC president stated.

Scribe of the Niger Delta Peoples Salvation Front (the political arm of Asari-led Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force), Odums Onisanya James, also hailed the release. He said it would help fish out criminal elements in the struggle and as well eliminate them from it. “So there will be peace.

Now we are going to refocus and redefine the struggle. Whatever condition he was given for the release is not our headache. The issue is that he has been released. The so-called conditions will not soften him. The development has shown the sincerity of the government not like the insincerity of Obasanjo. Now we can talk about the issues of peace in the region”.

The head of Supreme Egbesu, Sergeant Werinipre Noel Digifa, had this to say: “We welcome the release but we call on the Federal Government to release all Ijaw in detention in the country on account of the struggle. We have one hundred and fifty Ijaws in different locations in the country. We are appealing that Chief D.S.P Alamiesiegha should also be released. Asari is just a step. We raised a Kaiama Declaration on the way forward, we want it discussed.

The Ogoni Bill of Rights is there; government should discuss with all ethnic nationalities in the region: Urhobo, Itsekiri, etc. Again let me add here that President Yar'Adua would have started on a wrong note if he had continued with the summit on the region. The government quickly corrected itself.”

Prince Jumbo Jasper, a youth leader from Bonny, who also spoke on Asari’s release, said: “We are very happy with the release. It shows that the new government appreciates the suffering of the people and is ready to work towards the development of the region. But it will not end the crisis in the region. It will go a long way in assuaging the bitterness. Peace is not just absence of violence but also the presence of justice. Until fairness, equity and justice prevail, the struggle will continue. We want resource control and true federalism. The struggle is going to be refocused with the release.”

On his part, Siloko Siasia, chairman of South South Youth Leaders Forum, described the release as the beginning of good things to come in the Niger-Delta. His words: “It is a right step in the right direction. Government has shown a high level of commitment towards resolving the Niger Delta problem. The release has shown that President Yar'Adua will be committed to resolving the Niger Delta question. The release gives us a lot of hope. We are all happy, I am personally happy. With this, we are ready to work with the present government to actualize her goals in the region. This will also stop hostage taking in the region. We are going to try as much as possible to network to see that all criminal elements in the struggle are fished out. It is a good beginning for our people.”

Unconditional release

For Patrick Nagbaaton, coordinator, Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development, Asari’s release should have been unconditional. Said he: “The Asari Dokubo phenomenon is one we got to contend with in the Niger Delta. The government should have given him unconditional release because the arrest had further deteriorated the situation in the Delta.

The situation we find ourselves now is such that Asari can’t cause an end to the security problem in the region. Peter Odili and Olusegun Obasanjo created the problem. Our organization called for sincerity on their part then but they gambled with the idea.

This led to the problem in the region. And those behind the security problem many don’t have any link with Asari in any way. We are calling for unconditional release for him. It must be noted that Asari is all the same fundamental to resolving some of the conflicts in the Niger Delta and his release is a welcome development”.

But for the militant group, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta, MEND, the release is a welcome development. Jomo Gbomo, spokesman of the group, said thus in an online statement to Sunday Vanguard: “We consider the release of Asari as justice served, albeit late.

This gesture by the new government is an indication of its preparedness to dialogue and has effectively bought time for the oil industry while the more serious issue of resource control for the Niger Delta is considered.”

Fresh Tenions Brewing in Delta - An Analysis (Sunday Vanguard)

FRESH tension is now brewing in the creeks of Bayelsa State when normalcy appears to be returning to the troubled Niger Delta where armed groups have in the last two years sustained daring attacks on the nation's oil industry thus reducing its output by about 25 per cent.

The rising tension is coming on the heels of the Tuesday killing of nine suspected militants by men of the Joint Task Force, code-named “Operation Restore Hope,” fuelling fear that it could trigger fresh outbreak of hostilities in the creeks.

Militant group, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, it would be recalled, had, in an online statement, announced suspension of hostilities. “We will suspend attacks on oil installations for one month. A period which we hope the government will take advantage of to ruminate on positive and realistic measures towards a just peace in the delta.

Following this period, we will resume attacks on installations and oil workers in the delta with greater purpose,” the group had said about two weeks ago.
Though it was learnt that the deceased militants were not members of the dreaded MEND, the latter called for caution on the part of the armed groups in the region so as to give the Nigerian government the opportunity to deliver justice to the families of the dead. It, however, warned that it might be forced to avenge the deaths if government failed to act decisively on the matter.

“Those were unarmed civilians murdered by the military. These deaths will not go unpunished. We will however give the Nigerian government the opportunity to deliver justice to the families of the dead. If that does not come quickly, we will surely act to avenge the deaths of our murdered brothers.”

These were the exact words of the MEND spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, in reply to Sunday Vanguard enquiry on the killings in the creek which is now causing fresh tension in the waterways. The tough stance of the MEND spokesman notwithstanding, Bayelsa State governor, Chief Timipre Sylva-Sam, had, penultimate Saturday, allayed the fears of investors in the state when he told newsmen of a new rapprochement in the region which he noted would eventually curb youth militancy. His words, “We believe that this wind (peace deal) will begin a process of dialogue and I promise that we are going to start the process of engagement, empowerment and enforcement in the region.”

The governor who preferred not to call the armed youths in the creek ‘militants’ had said there were fundamental issues raised by them that needed to be addressed urgently to restore the confidence of the people in the rural enclave. Giving an insight into what transpired during his meeting with them at their den in the course of securing the release of the last batch of hostages held in the state, Sylva-Sam said, “The militants made some demands just as the government also made demands…we are also hoping to show good on our part because their demands are quite genuine. There is real neglect in the area.”

It is still unclear what sparked off the bloody shootout in the waterways Tuesday leaving nine suspected militants dead with two managing to escape with injuries. Many feared that the militants who had earlier promised to cease hostilities for one month to afford the new administration of the 56-year-old President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua the opportunity to demonstrate that he would accord the development of the region a different treatment from what his predecessor in office did had reneged on their pledge and taken up arms again.

But others said the attack was done in bad faith by the soldiers in the creek who are also in constant fear of being ambushed by militants whose vast knowledge of the maze of creeks has made it difficult for security forces to put a stop to their activities. However, what is certain is that it was the worst aggression seen in the state waterways since the recently brokered peace between the militants and Sylva-Sam, who personally visited the militants’ camp in the dense jungle of the mangrove swamp and succeeded in extracting a promise from their leaders to cease hostilities leading to the release of the last batch of hostages in Bayelsa which many saw as a vista of hope for the young state, in dire need of massive direct foreign investment if it must come out of the woods.

The tragic incident of Tuesday stands as grim reminders of the nearly two years of the near state of anarchy and insecurity in the waterways where many innocent Bayelsans and non Bayelsans have lost their lives.

Once again, the relative peace of the waterways was shattered and turned into crimson of blood as nine suspected militants fell to the superior firepower of men of “Operation Restore Hope” in a bloody gunfight. Two Nigerian soldiers were also reported to have lost their lives in the encounter, although this was denied by military authorities as the spokesman of the JTF, Major Omale Oshaguba, confirmed that nine militants were killed in shootout while no casualty was recorded on the part of the military.

It was learnt that for nearly two hours the battle lasted in the creek, commercial boat operators plying the route were forced to make a detour for fear of being caught in the cross fire having lost their colleagues in similar circumstances in the past. However, the identity of the slain youths has been a subject of controversy with some groups especially from the militants’ camp claiming they were victims of undue military aggression, a claim dismissed by security sources as cheap ‘blackmail’ insisting the deceased were militants armed to the teeth and killed in gunfight with soldiers.

A military source who spoke anonymously told Sunday Vanguard that the occupants of the boat were militants as “they were not only armed but also tying fetish objects on their bodies believed to be their source of invincibility.” “The situation in the creek is now different as the soldiers now have the right to defend themselves when attacked by militants,” the source said, adding that the military was not only on red alert to safeguard the nation oil installations but also make the creeks a safe passage for all users.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that trouble started when some soldiers at a military checkpoint attempted to stop a boat along the Ogboinbiri waterways some distance away from an oil facility belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), which refused to stop.

The occupants of the boat who were said to have tied white native cloth on their heads and arms were returning from an initiation ceremony at Ogbotobo in Delta State thereby raising the suspicion of the soldiers that they were militants in ‘Egbesu’ regalia and opened fire on them which they replied. They were, however, said to have succumbed to the superior firepower of the soldiers. Two managed to escape by jumping into the river.

A security source told Sunday Vanguard that four of the corpses were airlifted Wednesday to the Airforce base in Port Harcourt where they were later conveyed to the JTF base in Warri in a Toyota Hilux jeep with the inscription “Operation Restore Hope.”

As at the time of filing this report, it could not be ascertained if the bodies of the remaining militants had been evacuated as Sunday Vanguard source informed that NAOC refused to release its chopper to the military for further use when it was discovered that its initial offer was for the evacuation of the corpses of those killed in the violent skirmish between the soldiers and suspected militants.

Informed sources in the area said that security has been reinforced around the NAOC facility with commercial boat operators avoiding the Ogboinbiri waterways for fear of harassment by the soldiers as well as being caught in any cross fire between the military and militants.

Many of the natives along the Ogboinbiri, it was further learnt, are relocating from the area following speculation that the colleagues of the deceased militants might embark on revenge mission. “What we have in the creek presently is peace of the graveyard as there is apprehension among the natives. We have been living in perpetual fear since the tragic incident of Tuesday as nobody can predict the next line of action of the youths whose colleagues were killed by soldiers,” a local from the hinterland said.

Twelve Taken Hostage Update #3 (Media Reports)

Suspected militants on Sunday attacked the Nigeria Agip Oil Company flow station in Ogboinbiri, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, in what was described as reprisal attacks.

They also held 12 workers of the company hostage. The attacks came barely four days after the killing of nine militants by the men of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in the same area soldiers were said to have exchanged fire with the militants.

The militants were said to have mobilised themselves to avenge the death of their colleagues who were said to have been killed by the soldiers. The youth arrived on the platform early in the morning and allegedly forced the soldiers to beat retreat.

The militants succeeded in blowing up the flow station and taking over the entire platform.

The soldiers, according to a security source, seemed to have asked for reinforcements to curtail the activities of the rampaging youth as a gunboat was said to have been moved towards the area from Yenagoa.

Also, some of the vehicles of the JTF were seen moving towards the Yenagoa waterside.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for JTF, Major Omale Ochagwuba, said, “yes they attacked. Details are still sketchy.”

In his own comment, the coordinator of the state security outfit, Bayelsa Volunteers, Joshua Benamaisia, said, “The boys have taken over the flow station this morning, but no casualty has been recorded.”

The attacks came barely 48 hours after the leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Alhaji Mujadid Dokubo-Asari, who was recently released on bail by the Abuja high court, promised to find a lasting solution to militant activities in the region.

The state police command could not confirm the shootout, as its Public Relations Officer, DSP Iniobong Ibokette, said he was yet to receive information from the area with regard to the attacks.

Reacting, the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) denied involvement in the shootout.

Task Force Trails Hostage Takers (Nigerian Tribune)

Crack detectives from the police and intelligence unit of the Joint Task Force (JTF) code-named “Operation Restore Hope” are closing in on the armed gang that abducted four workers - three Indians and a Pole - in Sapele, Delta State, on Friday.

Security sources told the Nigerian Tribune yesterday that one of those arrested shortly after the incident had provided the security outfit with information which were being acted upon.

“The information has been very useful and our men are working on it.

“Infact, before the week runs out, we will fish out those hoodlums.

We are up to the task. We will no longer give these boys the breathing space again because they have no reason to engage in that act again with the release of Asari-Dokubo,” he said.

The four foreign workers, who were abducted while on their way to work at a rubber firm at about 9.00 a.m., were said to have been monitored over time by the kidnappers until they executed their plan.

The source said the driver of the speed boat scheduled for the evacuation of the hostages spoilt business for his colleagues because he did not keep to time.

“The driver of the boat came to the jetty shortly after his colleagues had hijacked another boat with its driver and escaped with their captives.

So, immediately the security agents discovered that he came for the kidnappers, they swooped on him and interrogated him to see if it was possible to immediately resue those foreigner”, he added.

The identities of two of the Indians kidnapped were given as Murughan Gopal and Anthony Marian, while those of the other two were yet to be known as at the time of filing this report.

Unions Meet Today to Confirm Strike Date (Media Reports)

The National Executive Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the leadership of the Trade Union Congress will meet on Monday (today) to decide whether or not to commence a nationwide strike on Wednesday.

The President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, M. Peter Akpatason, made this known during a telephone interview on Sunday.

The NLC and the TUC had on June 5, 2007 given the government a two-week ultimatum to reverse the new prices of petroleum products and the Value Added Tax.

They also want the government to cancel the sale of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries.

Three trade groups – the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria; the National Association of Road Transport Owners; and the Petroleum Tanker Drivers – are currently on strike over the sale of the refineries.

Our correspondents learnt on Sunday that the meeting would hold at the Labour House in Abuja.

Akpatason, who also disclosed that the government had sought for an extension of the 14 days ultimatum by one week, said that Monday’s meeting was to work out the modalities to ensure the success of the strike.

He added that Tuesday had been scheduled for the final round of mobilisation for the strike by the State Executive Councils of the NLC.

He said that letters would be dispatched directing workers to proceed on strike by Wednesday morning.

The NUPENG President said, “It is going to be total, every strike has to be total at this point in time.

“You know this is a new government and we must convince the government and Nigerians that we are serious and credible. Possible failure will determine how the government is going to perceive us.”

Akpatason, however, said the NLC and the TUC had rejected the request for an extension of the deadline by government.

He said the government had two days to respond to the demands of the labour unions to halt the national strike.

He said, “Further extension of the ultimatum is not possible at this time because the government was given a whole 14 days to respond to the demands of the labour unions.”

The Zonal Secretary, Western Zone of NUPENG, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, also confirmed that the strike might begin on Wednesday.

Korodo said, “By virtue of the circular sent out, there will be no strike between Monday and Tuesday until the outcome of the SEC meetings.

“The NLC will meet tomorrow (today) between 10am and 2pm to finalise actions,” he said.

The SEC is expected to meet by 1pm on Tuesday to brief all the unions under it of the outcome of the Monday meeting.

NARTO leaders will also meet on Monday with the government to decide whether to direct their members to continue with their strike or not.

The Executive Secretary of NARTO, Mr. Enoch Kanawa, said the group would conclude discussions with government on Monday.

Kanawa noted that because of the nature of the operations of NARTO and tanker drivers, products scarcity might remain if the meeting with government or that of the NLC with government ended in a deadlock.

He said, “We are the owners of the trucks, and if we did not reach an agreement with government, the tanker drivers would remain on strike.

“Also, the PTD is a member of NUPENG, a branch of the NLC; and if NARTO suspends its strike and the NLC continues with its own, the tanker drivers will still be on strike. So, it is a dicey situation.”

A meeting between the government and those of the Congress on Friday night ended in a deadlock.

Representatives of the government and the NLC are expected to meet again on Thursday.

“The NLC will meet tomorrow (today) between 10am and 2pm to finalise actions.”

Also on Sunday, the National Association of Nigerian Students said it was in full support of the strike.

The NANS President, Mr. Olalekan Soyombo, told our correspondent in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, that the strike by the NLC would have far-reaching consequences on the ecomomy.

Soyombo, therefore, appealed to President Umaru Yar’Adua to do what was right by heeding the call by the NLC and the TUC.

He said, “The average Nigerian lives under abject poverty; a majority of Nigerian workers are pauperised while our leaders are basking in opulence.

“The President should prove to all Nigerians that he is truly a product of the university. He should see his current situation as an opportunity to instill sanity into the polity.”

India Again Advises Its Nationals to Leave Nigeria

India's government Sunday issued a second security advisory asking Indians to leave the oil-rich Southern Niger Delta in Nigeria after a fresh kidnapping incident was reported, news reports said Sunday. The latest Ministry of External Affairs advisory was released after the Indian High Commission in Nigeria learned that two Indians were kidnapped Saturday in separate incidents, even as 10 other Indians who were kidnapped on June 1 were released late Friday, reported The Times of India.

The released victims, who were kidnapped at the compound of Eleme Petrochemicals, a franchise of the Indonesia-based Indian Indorama group, were kidnapped from the company's compound, have since been evacuated to India. The kidnapped included Indorama's managing director Arun Taneja.

The kidnappings has forced Eleme to partially shut down production after some 120 members of its expatriate staff - mostly engineers and technicians - left the country.

In the first incident, two Indians were kidnapped on May 19 and held hostage by armed groups and later released on Jun 11.

The Indian High Commission in Nigeria is facing problems in evacuating the workers as many Indian workers in Nigeria are not registered. Only four of the 10 Indians who were released Saturday evening had been registered with the high commission.

There has been a recent upsurge in kidnappings of oil workers in the Niger delta. According to reports, over 190 foreigners have been kidnapped in Nigeria within the last 12 months.

Criminal gangs and rebels are behind the kidnappings for ransom, reported The Times of India, and are demanding that the oil money that accounts for 80 per cent of the country's exports should be spent in the impoverished delta area.

Indian media reported that militants in southern Nigeria freed the 10 Indian hostages after a court ordered the release of a separatist leader Mujahid Asari Dokubo, head of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, who had been held since 2005 on treason charges, and whose detention sparked a wave of kidnappings in the oil-rich region.

Recently, ambassadors of 10 countries including India met with Nigeria's national security advisor to press for government efforts to free the foreign hostages.