President Muhammadu Buhari has given a fresh order to the military to crack down on a new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, which has been attacking oil installations.
It was learnt that the President gave the directive on Friday, following the group’s attack on Chevron’s platform in Warri, Delta State, on Thursday and its blowing up of pipelines linking Warri and Kaduna refineries on Friday.
Following the attack on the Okan offshore production platform on Wednesday by the militants, Chevron said it had lost about 105,000 barrels of oil production in three days.
The oil major said the incident had affected about 35,000 barrels per day of its own net crude production, or about 15 per cent of its output in the country.
“Approximately 35,000 bpd of Chevron’s net crude oil production in Nigeria are impacted,” AFP quoted a Chevron’s spokeswoman, Isabel Ordonez, as saying in a statement.
The General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mr. Deji Haastrup, confirmed the figure.
He said, “This is a very difficult time for the country because it needs the revenue it can get from oil production. Incidents such as this have the potential to impact that. We do hope that it does not seriously affect the country.”
Workers on the pipelines told newsmen that before the attack, they had pumped 28,000 barrels from the Escravos terminal on Thursday.
“Both Warri and Kaduna refineries also got a delivery rate of 903,000 barrels just before the attacks,” the workers who spoke on condition of anonymity said.
The workers said following the attacks, they counted about 10 military air patrols over the pipelines on Saturday.
They also added that it had been difficult for fire fighters to quench the fire from the bombed pipelines.
“The fire is still on and it’s going to be hard to stop it because it’s huge,” the workers said on Saturday night.
It was learnt that following the attacks, which has the potential of adversely affecting the revenue of the country, the President instructed the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force to stop the activities of the new group.
A presidential aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “The President gave special instruction to the military, especially to the Chief of Naval Staff, that this ugly development of vandals in the Niger Delta should end immediately.”
It was learnt that the President also ordered the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, to ensure that all waterways and platforms were protected against further attacks by the militants.
The Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig. -Gen. Rabe Abubakar, in an interview with newsmen on Saturday, confirmed that the military had gotten the directive.
He said, “We have the order from the President and we are monitoring the activities of the new group. All efforts will be made to bring out those behind it.
“The suspects who perpetrated the first vandalism were apprehended and paraded the day before yesterday (Thursday).
“These ones are not going to be different. We are going out on our operation to stop and apprehend them in accordance with the presidential directive.”
Abubakar was not specific about what measures would be taken to address the current situation.
“We are not deterred; nobody is happy about it but we are not deterred from doing what we are doing. And more proactive measures would be put in place.
“What they are doing is complete economic sabotage; it is economic terrorism,” he said.
Buhari had in April threatened that his administration would descend heavily on oil and gas pipelines vandals as well as other saboteurs the same way the nation’s Armed Forces were dealing with members of the Boko Haram sect.
The President who spoke in Beijing during a meeting he had with members of the Nigerian community in China, warned vandals and saboteurs blowing up oil and gas installations in Nigeria to desist immediately or face the same drastic action being taken against Boko Haram by the Armed Forces. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Ah beg crush fulani terrorist herdsmen.
ReplyDeleteO am beginning to see Buhari from another angle( a person who takes oil and gas more valuable than Nigerian lives) He never instructed the military to attack Fulani herdsmen who have courselessly been killing innocent souls but now instructing them to attack southerners who have a course of fight. Shame.
ReplyDelete#GodWillFight4Us#
Get the difference: Economic terrorism means that living standards will get worse than it is today and cause even more deaths; which Fulani violent activities is hooliganism. Both are inimical to national security, but the Niger Delta militants are worse. My gut feeling is that fuel importers are uncomfortable with Kachikwu's strides in refining crude oil for our national good.
DeleteEveryone understands that but why does the president show that the lives of southerners mean nothing to him. Fulani herdsmen are incessantly killing innocent people and not a single directive us given about that. They move about with deadly weapons, nobody us taking it away from them. Everyday Buhari proves that he is more interested in this southern oil than anything else. But God will Shane every deceiver, troubler, and enemy of Nigeria. Every evil agenda will be thwarted.
DeleteHmmmmm You don't talk again , Lets see today and tomorrow news .
ReplyDeleteHmmmmm You don't talk again , Lets see today and tomorrow news .
ReplyDeleteKill them
ReplyDeleteIfe you are very sentimental, u seem not following what is happening in the country. Buhari has since given oder to crush armed Fulani d sameway given to crack down Niger Delta terrorist.
ReplyDeleteI concur. The IGP and COAS has the full responsibility of checkmating Fulani Herdsmen. This was openly announced. I don't know why Nigerians are so tribalistic and sentimental about every action taken by the President. Let's allow him do his job. So far, I think he is not doing badly at all.
DeleteDont mind mr president,when all d killings by fulani heardsmen where happening he did notin now his taken drastic measures towards the naija delta militants for pipeline vandalism.so u see our mr president does not value life like his fellow northern pple. wat a pitty
ReplyDeleteMr President, you should given the same order to soldiers to crush the Fulani batsmen herdsmen who are killing and causing confusion in South east.
ReplyDeleteWhat is good goose is also good gander.
Nonsense
@Safari and Nayay, i can see u guys are more concerned about economic growh and development than Lives. The question i have 4 you guys is that " Who will enjoy the good economy when they have been killed? And if you are not sentimental When did the President respond to the herdsmen, is it not at the later stage, but very swift with that of the millitants. As 4 me i see Nigerian Lives more sacred than economy that is sliding steeply and expecting CHANGE that might never come.
ReplyDelete#GodWillFight4Us#
Nobody anywhere should be above the nation, nay the law of the country. I do not support violence of any kind whether from my kith and kin or enemies. Democracy presupposes dialogue -- jaw-jaw to resolve conflicts.
DeleteMr President, you should given the same order to soldiers to crush the Fulani herdsmen who are killing and causing confusion in South east.
ReplyDeleteWhat is good for the goose is also good the gander.
Nonsense
Which planet do you live or is it that you choose the news to hear. PMB sounded it loud and clear that the herdsmen should be crushed
DeleteCrush them all. Fulani herdsmen inclusive. They should be seen as terrorists. These low lives are funded by oil barons who don't ever want our refineries to work. Time for our military to stand up and crush these enemies of progress. Afterall Jonadaft did nothing for that region even as their son.
ReplyDeleteWith the mindless comments of some people here, it is becoming obvious that the Fulani herdsmen issue might be a red herring. How can sane people condone terrorism by way of vandalisation and be relating it to herdsmen attacks which PMB has ordered to be crushed. No one is mentioning the fact that the this murderous group had been on the rampage for years with the previous government treating it with levity just as it did with BH, suddenly it is front page news perhaps because PMB is in the saddle. Anyway we know the days of these so called herdsmen, their sponsors and those of the pipeline vandals are numbered as PMB has shown that he is not a lily livered leader
ReplyDeleteKill them on sight.this people are thieves.why are my people so blind? This people claim they are fighting for the interest of their people to get recognize,but once they get the notoriety,they embezzled a lot of the money and abandon their people.A perfect example is tompolo who sold some land meant for the betterment of his community.Tompolo embezzled a lot of money,asari benefited from the last administration too and the legacy didn't trinkle down to the poor masses but his fellow bandits.jonathan was from d south south and what did he do for his region but to connive with an hausa man to plunder the resources of our great country.my point is that,they use tribalism to divide us,but when they are stealing money,they are in alliance together.dansuki is an hausa man,fani kayode is a yoruba man,alot of the military general's were from d north and the middlebelt.So pls recognise this bastards for the thief they are.Flush them out and deal with them ruthlessly
ReplyDeleteNigerians lets not be destructive it's not for the betterment of our country. So
ReplyDeleteBoth Fulani herdsmen and Niger delta Avengers are economic saboteuos.PmB,PLS deal with both.
ReplyDeleteMr president Obj applied this yr method it did notwork in Niger delta but yadua/goodluck applied conflict resolution and there was peace
ReplyDelete