Militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) yesterday claimed it had bombed two Chevron oil wells as well as three Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) trunk lines.
The NNPC trunk line supplies crude oil to Warri refinery in Delta State. Two NPDC trunk lines were hit.The NNPC attack occurred hours after the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, visited some communities and sites of earlier pipeline bombings in the state.
However, there are speculations that the IGP’s visit to some communities and his yet-to-be-confirmed plans to set up local security outfits may have triggered the fresh attack by the NDA.
During the visit, he conducted aerial surveillance and patrol of some riverine communities which included Ugborodo, Madawo, Oporoza and Camp Five. He also conducted on-the-spot assessment and evaluation of the security situation in some flash-points in the creeks.
It was also learnt that the fresh bombing of oil facilities by the NDA was a clear indication that the ongoing dialogue between the Federal Government and the militants may be failing.
The NDA had recently warned that it was not in any negotiations with government and that those allegedly claiming to represent the insurgents in any dialogue were political jobbers.
The NDA also in a statement on its website accused a former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Silva, a current governor and two former militant leaders (names withheld) of conspiring and promoting the creation of a political Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which purportedly named a team to negotiate with the Federal Government.
The NDA announced the latest attacks on its Twitter account yesterday stating: “At 1:15 a.m. on Sunday, @NDAvengers blew up two major Chevron Oil Wells. WELL 7 and WELL 8 close to Abiteye Flow Station in Delta State.
“At 11:26 p.m. on Saturday, @NDAvengers blew up two NPDC major crude trunk lines close to Batan Flow Station in Delta State. “At 9:15 p.m. on Friday, the @NDAvengers blew up Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Crude Oil Trunk Line to Warri Refinery.
“All five operations were carried out by @NDAvengers strike team. Well done soldiers.”The IGP had criticised the renewed militancy that has manifested in pipeline and oil installations vandalism in the Niger-Delta region which he said had caused environmental and security challenges.
Idris hinted that under his leadership, the police would engage every community in accordance with international core values of policing with integrity and respect for diversity.
He met with the elders, youths and members of Ugborodo and Oporaza communities, admonishing them to be law-abiding. It was learnt that Ijaw leaders boycotted the meeting because they were not informed about the visit.
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