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