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Militants Strike NNPC Pipeline In Rivers …Avengers Hit Chevron Manifolds In Delta
A group claiming to be Niger Delta Avengers, yesterday, bombed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s pipeline pumping feedstock to the Nigeria Liquefied National Gas (NLNG) in Bonny, Rivers State.
The Tide gathered that the pipeline attack occurred at a location in Eleme, Eleme Local Government Area, which also harbours the Port Harcourt Refinery Complex, in the state.
The militants made this disclosure, in a release yesterday, on its phony Facebook page @NDAvengers, saying: “by 3.00 am, yesterday, Strike Team 2, carried out a major strike, bombing NNPC pipeline at Eleme leading to NLNG. You won’t stop us.”
Before the latest attack, the militant group had posted, at about 8.12 pm on its Facebook page: “Another major pipe about to go up in flames! Brass, LNG, Boom.”
The group further insisted that its mission was not to take lives.
“The only reason we don’t want to take life is simple; we dare the Nigerian Army. For every life you take, we take two.
“We have our reason, we play cool. We are ready. We must cripple the economy,” the group threatened.
But in a swift turn of events, the Niger Delta Avengers, yesterday, denied ever bombing any oil facility in Rivers State.
In a statement confirming its attacks on three Chevron Nigeria Limited’s manifolds in Digbolo, near Dibi in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, the Avengers denied attack on the NNPC pipeline in Eleme, Rivers State, posted by on a Niger Delta Avengers Facebook account, describing it as ‘fake’.
The militants said that the incident occurred at about 11.00 pm on Wednesday.
Claiming responsibility for the attack, the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, said: “Between the hours of 10:50pm to 11:10 pm, our (Niger Delta Avengers) strike team blew up Chevron manifolds.”
The statement signed by its spokesperson, Brig. Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, and made available to The Tide via email, while wishing Muslims a happy Eid Mubarak celebration, said: “the manifolds are RMP 22, 23 and 24.”
Warning the public that it was shutting down all its social media accounts, the group said, “Niger Delta Avengers is not out to mislead the public, as a result, we are closing our entire social network accounts.
“This Facebook account/page is an impostor page that was opened by fraudsters to deceive the general public,” the statement emphasised.
Speaking further, it said, “we are warning any group that wants to do anything to go about their activities without tagging us (Niger Delta Avengers). Instead, do your activities and claim responsibility.
“Niger Delta Avengers is not out to mislead the public as a result we are closing all our social network accounts and will be using our websites to pass information to the general public,” it added.
Meanwhile, the General Overseer of Victory Assembly Ministry (VAM), Bishop Jonathan Eze has cautioned Niger Delta militants to stop blowing up oil pipelines or face the wrath of God.
Eze gave the warning in an interview with newsmen yesterday in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
The Bishop was reacting to the incessant attacks on oil pipelines by the new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).
According to the General Overseer, who is also a UN Peace Ambassador, the avengers are incurring the wrath of God by their activities.
“The Avengers are not fighting a just cause because their activities are affecting and threatening the peace of the nation.
“Nigerian oil is a natural gift from God and nobody has the right to destroy it,’’ he said.
Eze added that if the Avengers were aggrieved over any issue, they should address it in a civil manner rather than threaten the country.
He said if the country must remain one, no group should threaten the peaceful existence of the nation in the name of militancy.
Eze also blamed Niger Delta leaders for allowing the situation to “get out of hand.
“The leaders in the Niger Delta region are to be blamed because they are the people that groomed the militants and they should call them to order.
“How can there be governors, senators, traditional rulers and other top government officials from the region; and yet they cannot caution their children from destroying government assets,’’ he said.
According to him, spiritual leaders will no longer sit back and watch militants destroy the country.
“If the militants do not stop this madness, we will fight them spiritually and subdue them,” he said.
The clergyman, however, encouraged the Federal Government to take a critical look into the issue and handle it with diplomacy.
Susan Serekara-Nwikhana
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has won 20 out of the 23 local government areas in the just concluded local government election in the State, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clinched three local governments.
According to the results released by the Rivers State independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), yesterday, the APC won the chairmanship seats in Abua/Odual, Andoni, Opobo Nkoro, Ahoada East, Ahoada West, Okrika, Ogu/Bolo and Khana local government areas.
APC also won in Gokana, Tai, Oyigbo, Bonny, Eleme, Etche, Omuna, Akuku Toru, Asari Toru, Degema, Ikwerre and Emohua local government areas.
The Commission, however, said the PDP won in Port Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor, and Ogba Egbema Ndoni local government areas.
Chairman of the Commission, Dr Michael Odey, who announced the results at the Commission headquarters in Port Harcourt, said Ofori Owolabi of the APC scored 28,755 votes to emerge winner of the election for Abua Odual while Solomon Ochomma, also of the APC, emerged chairman elect for Ahoada East after scoring 54,509 votes.
Odey said Eugene Epelle also of the APC scored 84,125 votes to emerge winner in Ahoada West, while Bob Fubara was elected the chairman-elect for Akuku Toru after scoring 63,593 votes.
Similarly APC chairmanship candidate Lucky Otuo Promise emerged chairman-elect for Andoni after scoring a total of 126,181 votes, APC’s George Onengiyeofori emerged winner in Asari Toru after scoring 56,383 votes, while Pepple Blessing Abinye garnered 13,543 votes to emerge winner in Bonny Local Government Area.
Other APC candidates elected include Michael John Williams who scored 16,536 votes to emerge chairman-elect for Degema Local Government; Obarlllormate Ollor (77,452) for Eleme; Dr Chidi Julius Lloyd (114,380) for Emohua; Njoku Boniface (100,649) for Etche; Confidence Deekor (96,478) for Gokana, while Wobodo Charles got 62,746 votes to emerge winner in Ikwerre Local Government Area.
Other APC winners from the APC include Akuro Tobins (32,285 votes) for Okrika; Hon Obasi Uchechukwu (38,530) for Omuma; James A James (38,822) for Opobo Nkoro; Vincent Nemieboka (36,374) for Ogu/Bolo; Hon Mbakpone Okpe (70,080) for Tai LGA, while in Oyigbo, Okechukwu Akara scored 101,495 votes to emerge winner.
Meanwhile, the RSIEC chairman announced Dr Gift Worlu of the PDP with 328,823 votes to emerge winner in Obio Akpor; Shedrack Ogbogu, also of the PDP, scored 51,051 votes for Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Area, while in Port Harcourt City, Sir Alwell Ihunda garnered 235,054 votes for PDP to emerge winner.
The APC also cleared the councillorship seats in Abua/Odual, Andoni, Ahoada East, Ahoada West, Okrika, Ogu/Bolo and Khana, Oyigbo, Bonny, Eleme, Etche,Tai, Khana Opobo/Nkoro and Degema local government areas.
Similarly APC councillorship candidates also emerged winners in Asari Toru, Degema, Akuku Toru, Gokana and Khana while PDP cleared the councillorship seats in Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt city, and Ogba Egbema/ Ndoni Local Government Areas
Meanwhile, the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions has passed a vote of confidence on the just concluded local government election in the State.
National Chairman of the forum, Hon. Mamman Nda Eri, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt.
Eri said all the chairmen across the country were in Port Harcourt to monitor the election as well as gain experience in an election under emergency rule.
John Bibor & King Onunwor
The National Center for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) says that Nigeria is accountable for 70 per cent of 11 million illegal arms and light weapons in West Africa,
Mr Alex Ebimiebo, the South South Zonal Director of the NCCSALW, made the remark at the Naval Warfare Course 9 Inter-Agency seminar, organised by the Naval War College in Calabar on Thursday.
Ebimiebo presented a paper themed, “Strengthening Security Agencies Collaboration to Counter Illicit Arms Proliferation for Enhanced National Security in Nigeria.”
He said that the illegal arms dealings were largely responsible for Nigeria’s 2.2 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and 26,000 refugees in neighboring countries.
Ebimiebo further said that arms proliferation had led to economic distortions, an increase in violence, crime, and impediment to peace building.
He, however, called for concerted effort from all Nigerians to tackle the menace, saying that NCCSALW would take the fight to the society since security is the responsibility of everyone.
“So, as a result, everybody is a stakeholder, so as such, we need to involve the whole society in this fight and the center has a lot of programmes for collaboration with our sister agencies.
”We also have advocacy and sensitisation programmes that we take to members of the general public from time to time,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rear Adm. Akinola Oludude, Commandant, Naval War College, expressed concern on the influx of illicit arms into Nigeria since 2020.
He attributed this to the extensive borderline of about 4,470 kilometers between Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.
He also noted that the nation’s maritime domain that extended over 853 kilometers of coastline and of the Gulf of Guinea had also not helped.
The commandant said that the 2021 survey by the NCCSALW revealed that over six million illegal weapons were in circulation in the country.
Oludude said that out of the figure, about 70 per cent were in the hands of non-states actors.
”The impact of this illicit arms proliferation is profound and multifaceted.
”These weapons bred various forms of insecurity, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal clashes, and armed robbery.
“Inter-agency collaboration is needed to tackle the proliferation of illicit arms and weapons,” he said.
Oludude said that no single agency, no matter how well-resourced, no matter how well-dedicated, could effectively tackle the complex challenge alone.
He stated that the nature of the recent arms proliferation demanded a joint and multi-agency approach.
“Therefore, this seminar provides a vital platform for us to collectively examine the complexities of this complex challenge,” he said.
Also speaking, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Eastern Naval Command, Rear Adm. Kennedy Ezete, urged the participants to translate the discussions and recommendations of the seminar into concrete actions.
He advised the participants to take the knowledge and insights gained to their respective agencies and organisations and implement them
According to him, “we must ensure that the suggestions and way forward developed here are implemented effectively and that the partnerships forged are sustained.
”This requires a commitment from all stakeholders, including the leadership of our security agencies and the wider community.
”Share your experiences, implement the strategies that have been suggested, and continue to work collaboratively to counter illicit arms proliferation.
“We must also continue to invest in training, technology, and intelligence gathering to enhance our capabilities.”
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