Militants
The Niger Delta Red Squad
(RDRS), one of the militant groups operating in the oil-rich region, has
attacked another pipeline belonging to Agip Oil Company at Umuonei in Awara
community in Imo state. The attack came three months after the group blew up
its first target.
The militants, who informed
about the attack through Facebook, cautioned Agip operatives to keep away from
the facility, as anybody found within the vicinity would be beheaded. The group
in the post signed by its spokesman General Don Wannie, said it hit because it
has nothing to show for the operations of Agip and other oil companies in their
area since the creation of Imo state. “We have seen enough marginalisation and
it has to be stopped,” General Wannie said. Red Squad added that it was made to
renew attacks as a result of the continued criminal ignorance of the
oil-bearing communities by oil companies.
“We are not happy with Agip
because they have continued to neglect our communities. Since they have refused
to change, we have equally resumed the attack on their pipelines and we are
going to blow until they do the right thing,” the group stated. It further
threatened to attack the offices of the Imo State Oil Producing Area
Development Commission, the Niger Delta Development Community among others in
the state. The militants also promised to attack Governor Rochas Okorocha’s
Ogboko village if government deployed any army to their community. “To Imo
state government and their security agencies, we ask you to give our people
what rightfully belong to them. You think the best thing you can do is to plan
how to deploy security men to our area.
“No problem… we are assuring
you that no security agent will come to any part of Awarra and go without being
beheaded,” the statement added. Niger Delta militant groups have increased the
attacks on oil and gas facilities since February 2016. The militants demand a
greater share of Nigeria’s oil wealth for the impoverished but oil-rich region.
One of the groups, Nigeria Delta Avengers, on August 29, announced that it
halted hostilities in the region and is ready to talk with the government.
However, the production losses have left Nigeria facing questions about how it
will fund its record budget.
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