Suspected militants bomb Eni’s gas pipeline in Nigeria
Niger Delta militants brandish weapons on the Escravros River in the Niger Delta. Photograph: Dave Clark/AFP/Getty Images
Suspected Niger delta oil rebels have bombed a gas pipeline owned by the Nigeria subsidiary of Italy’s Eni, the latest attack on the country’s oil facilities, a company official said Wednesday.
The militants blew up the Agip gas pipeline at Ogbembiri in the Southern Ijaw area of Bayelsa state on Sunday, leading to an oil production drop equivalent to 1,000 barrels per day, said the official who asked not to be identified.
“I can confirm the sabotage to that pipeline. The production impact is approximately 1,000 bpd of Eni’s equity,” he told AFP.
The pipeline has been repeatedly breached this year amid renewed violence in the region.
A new militant group called the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) has carried out several attacks on key pipelines and facilities operated by Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell and US group Chevron, hurting output in Africa’s biggest economy and major crude producer.
On Monday, the junior oil minister, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, told parliament that Nigeria’s output had slumped to 1.4 million bpd from 2.2 million because of the unrest.
Industry sources said power generation has also dropped to some 1,400 megawatts, from 4,000, for a population of more than 170 million as a result of disruptions in gas supplies.
The NDA is thought to have sympathy for a former rebel leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, who is wanted on corruption charges.
An ally of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Ekpemupolo is one of the most high-profile former leaders of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).
MEND attacked oil and gas facilities in the 2000s as part of a campaign to secure a fairer share of crude revenue for the delta region until a government amnesty was introduced in 2009.
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13 Comments
If we had an effective government with some proactive thoughts. They would have deployed more security forces to all the various oil and gas infrastructure in the area. we have million of unemployed youth, yet we can’t beef up our security forces to deal with the numerous security problem. our border are pour, smuggling is on the increase, Fulani herdsmen are terrorizing villages, while vandals are destroying the country live lines. we need leadership immediately.
You are a senseless man! The Niger-delta territory belongs to Niger-deltans, there is nothing that says that the Niger-delta must be part of zoo nigeria. If you know history, you will recall that country split if one part feels marginalized. Zoo nigeria has expired, the Niger-delta is gone with its oil. Go to lagos and claim you oil block there and send your unemployed youths to sambisa forest, that is how to create jobs in your zoo nigeria.
Where do we go from here.? We are still treating the wounds of Jonathan while the wounds of Obasanjo is not completely healed.
The Niger Deltans, and all oil producing regions of Nigeria are the most useless set of Human beings known on the face of the earth. You have oil, and outsiders walked into your backyard and took over your wealth. 90% of all Oil Blocks are owned by SW/North. All Niger Delta can say they have is environmental degradation and pollution. A pipeline runs from the coast to Kaduna, and you people still believe that you are not in modern day slavery. Think again guys. Slavery is not only when they chain you and ship you to another world, or they make you to serve someone forcefully. Economic slavery is when your resources are taken away from you and then your environment is degraded. Tell me how many Niger Deltans that will own oil blocks in Lagos or NE? Your only solution is to wake up from your slumber at this time. Look for the lost sheep before darkness falls, or maybe darkness has already fallen on you Niger Deltans and other oil producing regions. Continue the bombing till the economy is decimated. Next will be rail lines, Airports and make sure Kainji is not spared.
The people feeding you and your parasitic state are now saying they won’t any longer so are downgrading the ‘feeding bottle’. Why not seek alternative means of survival and be grateful to them for keeping you out of starvation till now?
Eureka! I said it earlier!
Now it’s glaring.
Now everyone knows that this is the handiwork of the defeated PDP.
When Buhari will get you, there would be no place for u to hide. You will run to the sea and d sea will be boiling.
Body language has expired. Now we know that the man from Daura is fantastically illiterate. Niger Delta will no longer feed you and the moron so the pipelines are being downgraded
Your name doesn’t sound Nigerdelta. I would beg you to mind your business because we ain’t and will never be part of biafra.
Besides, what did literate Ojukwu do for the Igbo race?
What an impostor you are. If you are from Delta, you won’t need an interpreter to identify me through my name. I share the same surname with the Deputy Speaker of DTHA. Himself, from a community with the purest non associated gas in Africa. That tells you my ethnic nationality. However, all your vituperations won’t make an illiterate a knowledgeable fellow. Fantastically illiterate indeed!
Biafra is not a part of NigerDelta. Can’t u get it?
Stay away from us.
Deputy speaker name-sake my nyash.
You are correct, am from Delta State. I don’t believe the SE and Niger Delta are the same but they certainly have the right to their agitation. You are too myopic to believe that anyone that genuinely opens the failings of Buhari is from SE. Sorry!
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So sad, finally Guardian has also been invaded by morons who spend their time spewing ignorance, and hate-filled comments.
The Ogbeinbiri incident has nothing to do with militancy. It is all about unbridled greed from bunkerers, community contractors who benefit from such breaches.
A lot of you people know nothing about the dangerous game been played out by these bllodsucking vampires who steal the oil, destroy the environment, act as agents who still collect compensation from the oil companies and still leave those communities in abject poverty.
These guys are worst than the IOCs or owners of oil blocs who must operate in an ethical manner ensuring their E&P activities do not impact severely on the environment. These guys are robbers, they hit and run, leaving in their wake destruction of the ecosystem and the economy of the communities and buffons applaud them.
Obviously only people who are not from the region will applaud this foolishness. Bastards feeding fat on our suffering.
We will review and take appropriate action.