Tag Archives: Pipeline

Niger Delta Avengers Weakened as JTF Foils Another Attack on Chevron Escravos Pipeline in Delta

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President Muhammadu Buhari wednesday held a closed-door meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Senate.

The president also met separately with Senators from the South-east.

The senators at the meeting, held at the president’s office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, were led by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu.
After the meeting with the lawmakers, they exited while Buhari held a personal meeting with Saraki.

The meeting came about a week after the Senate rejected Buhari’s request to borrow $29.9 billion from external sources.

The lawmakers, across party divide, rejected the application without debate, saying it did not come with relevant information such as purpose, means of repayment and among others.

Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Ekweremadu said: “For us from the South-east, we believe that dialogue is better than any other form of engagement. So we decided to visit the president and present to him some of the concerns of the South-east including the issues of roads, general infrastructure: the rail, airports. We also discussed the issue of security with him and of course the issue of Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB.) We had a good conversation with the president, and he promised to look into the issues.”

The Chairman of the South-east Caucus in the Senate, Eyinnaya Abaribe, who was also at the meeting with the president, said the South-east caucus came to see the president over raging issues in the region.

He said: “This is the South-east caucus in the Senate and we came to see the president because of the issues we have in the South-east.

“We had a fruitful discussion with the president. He has promised us that he is going to look into the problems of region.

“We know that there are problems everywhere but we also believe that the South-east is the zone that is far much shortchanged at this time than other zones.

We also talked about the issue of appointments from the South-east, especially with respect to the National Security Council. The president also told us that governors of the South-east have also engaged him on the same problems we engaged him on.

“There is a concerted effort from the people of the South-east to be sure that we engage with this government meaning fully.

“We are reassured with the response we got from the president and we look forward to further interaction with him in this manner.”

Others in the delegation were: Sam Egwu, Hope Uzodima, Andy Uba and Chukwuka Utazi.

Credit: ThisDay

JUST IN: Militants bomb oil pipeline in Warri.

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Nigerian militants on Tuesday bombed a state-run oil pipeline near the southern port city of Warri, the second attack within a week, a community leader and army officer said.

“The line which was undergoing repair after the previous attack … was billed for commissioning either today or tomorrow,” before the latest attack, chairman of Batan community Dickson Ogugu told AFP.

He said four surveillance guards deployed to protect the Trans Forcados export line narrowly escaped death after the militants opened fire on them.

“The hoodlums after chasing them from the spot came down from their speedboat, planted dynamite on swamp boogie, barge, crane and on the line,” he said.

“Unfortunately, only the dynamite on the barge exploded and immediately sank into the water. As I speak to you, the military are at the scene of the incident trying to dismantle the other dynamites.”

An army officer, who did not want to be named, confirmed the incident.

“We heard the shots in the middle of the night, but as you know, we do not patrol the area at night, so there was nothing we could do,” he said.

The line has been previously targeted by rebels.

Last week, the line was bombed just hours after President Muhammadu Buhari met with representatives of militant groups in the Niger delta to discuss how to end the unrest wracking the region.

The state-owned Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) operates the pipeline which receives crude from the Batan flowstation and feeds the Forcados export terminal.

Since the start of the year, several militant groups have attacked oil facilities, slashing the nation’s output and hammering revenues.

The militants claim to be seeking a fair share of the nation’s oil wealth for local residents as well as political autonomy for the region.

The government has launched peace talks with the rebels to end the violence.

Pipeline fire erupts in Delta community

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Barely three months after a pipeline caught fire in Idheze community, a similar incident has been recorded in Oleh, another Isoko settlement.

Oleh is the headquarters of Isoko South Local Council of Delta State.

The President-General of Oleh Community, Chief James Obeuwou, told newsmen that the facility belongs to the Agip (Eni-NAOC) group, disclosing that a reasonable quantity of crops were lost to the incident.

He said the fire broke out about 1:00 a.m. yesterday, noting that: “A glow lit the sky as if a volcano was erupting in a distance. There was a sound like high-pressured water fall almost like a siren. People living around the area started running for their lives because it was frightening. It was like the world was coming to an end. We have not witnessed anything like this in the community.”

Obeuwou alleged that representatives of the oil company, after entering a mutual agreement with the host community to cordon off the area, later connived with security agents to continue operations.

The council chairman, Sir Ithiako Constantine Ikpokpo, while confirming the inferno, said: The council secretary and Divisional Police Officer (DPO) called me at about 1.30 a.m. that a pipeline had erupted.”

He called on the people to be calm, just as he advised the management of Agip to put its equipment in good shape.

Militants Blow Up Another Pipeline In Delta

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A militant group, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate, NDGJM, in the early hours of Tuesday, blew up the Afiesere-Iwhrenene major delivery line to UPS/UQCC, operated by Nigeria Petroleum Development Company, NDPC/Shorelines Petroleum in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.

The attack confirmed by a leader of the group, self-styled Gen. Aldo Agbalaja, came as the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, which ceased hostilities, last month, accused the military of harassing old men, women and innocent youths in the region under the guise of hunting for militants.

Meanwhile, the Ijaw People Development Initiative, IPDI, has warned that the Federal Government’s plan to continue to militarize the region and intimidate the people despite the fact that NDA and other dangerous militant groups had opted for dialogue will not make the region to forsake the Niger Delta struggle.

Read More:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/09/militants-blow-another-pipeline-delta/

NNPC Shuts Pipeline’s Valve Over Leak

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has shut a valve in a pipeline in the Niger Delta after a gas leak following an explosion, a community leader told Reuters yesterday.

Militant group, Niger Delta Avengers has claimed it blew up the pipeline.

“At around 4 a.m. we heard the loud noise of an explosion, then a sound like rain so we came out and saw gas gushing out from the NNPC pipeline,but there is no fire there now,” said Nsikak Joshua, a community leader in Ikot-Osute, the site of the blast.

Meanwhile, oil-rich Okpai in Ndokwa east local government area of Delta State, the host community of Agip Independent Power Plant, has decried the alleged abandonment of the shore protection project by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The chairman of Okpai Community Development Committee (CDC), Chief John Emordi, made the claim when he visited Mr Nnamdi Ezechi, the commissioner representing Ndokwa ethnic nationality on the board of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC).

Emordi lamented that that there was nothing to show for the over 50 years of oil and gas exploitation in the community and the peace the exploration companies enjoyed  while operating in the area.

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http://leadership.ng/business/545750/nnpc-shuts-pipelines-valve-over-leak

Pipeline Bombings: Militant Group Announces 2 Weeks Ceasefire

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A militant group, Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders, NDRC, based in Bayelsa State, Wednesday, declared a two-week armistice within which it urged President Muhammadu Buhari to review his hard-line stance to consequential dialogue with militants and first-rate leaders of Niger Delta to prevent total devastation of crude oil export facilities.

This came as the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, accused ExxonMobil of telling lies about the bombing of its Qua Iboe 48-inch crude export pipeline on Monday evening. Spokesperson of the militant group, self-appointed Brig Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, stated: “ExxonMobil can deny and fool the general public about their Export Pipeline blown, yesterday (Monday). How long can they lie to their investors? Just in matter of days, the whole world will see the truth. Qua Iboe 48” crude oil export pipeline is down, so said the Avengers.”

NDRC, which recently blew up the Brass Creek Manifold, the largest in West Africa, situated in Peretorugbene, Ekeremor local government area, Bayelsa state, said: “With clear evaluation of the happenings and advice of well- meaning Nigerians and Niger Delta stakeholders, we hereby declare a two- week ceasefire for a sincere and proper dialogue.”

Spokesperson of the group, WOI Izon-Ebi, said in a statement: “We want the Federal Government to consult distinguished personalities, royal fathers and chiefs of the Niger Delta communities. Government should disassociate itself from negotiating with political jobbers in Abuja, but come down to the Niger Delta communities.”

“If after the two weeks of ceasefire, nothing meaningful happens, we have no option but to redirect our next phase of action to the exporting terminals to stop total export of our resources.

“We hereby call on Mr. President to do the needful by being sincere to himself and Nigerians to engage in meaningful dialogue to ensure a lasting peace in the Niger Delta and Nigeria in particular,” it added.

Credit: Vanguard

Shell Shuts Trans Niger Pipeline As Avengers Strikes Again

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The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) group said it had bombed an ExxonMobil facility in southern Nigeria just as Shell announced closure of a key oil pipeline, in the latest blow to output.

“At about 7:30 pm (1830 GMT) the Niger Delta Avengers blow up ExxonMobil Qua Iboe 48? crude oil export pipeline,” the NDA, which has been blamed for a string of attacks on key oil and gas facilities since February, said in a statement late Monday.

The militants said international oil majors had defied its calls for a halt to exports. AFP contacted ExxonMobil but there was no immediate response. The Niger Delta Avengers wants foreign oil companies out of the delta region, arguing local people have failed to benefit from decades of extraction that has generated billions of dollars.

It also wants self-determination and political autonomy for the region. The upsurge in unrest has reduced output in oil-rich Nigeria at a time the country is reeling from low global crude prices that have hammered government revenues.

Credit: Vanguard

 

Shell Probing New Claim Of Nigeria Pipeline Attack

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Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary said on Friday it was investigating a claim by the Niger Delta Avengers that it had struck another pipeline in the restive oil-producing south.

“We are investigating reports of an attack on our pipeline in the western Niger delta,” Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) spokesman Precious Okolobo told AFP, without elaborating.

The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), blamed for a wave of bombings on Nigeria’s oil infrastructure since the beginning of the year, earlier claimed responsibility for the attack.

“At 3:00 am today (0200 GMT Friday), @NDAvengers blow up the SPDC Forcados 48? export line,” it said on its Twitter account.

The attack was carried out because Shell had refused to heed earlier warnings not to repair the pipeline, which was damaged in February, it added.

The NDA, which says it is seeking a fairer share of Nigeria’s oil wealth for the Niger delta people, has asked oil majors to leave the region.

It has also attacked facilities operated by US firm Chevron, Italy’s Eni and the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The army said on Thursday that six people, including two soldiers, were killed when militants attacked a boat belonging to the NNPC in the region, but the NDA denied involvement.

Credit: Guardian

Avengers Allegedly Blow Up Forcados Pipeline

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The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), the militant group which has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks on oil installations, says it has blown up a Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) oil facility.

The Forcados pipeline, which transports 250,000 barrels per day, was first bombed in February and had just undergone repairs.

The militants also said it had hit the Brass to Tebidaba crude pipeline in the latest attacks to bring oil production and export to zero.

The militants made these claims on Twitter early Friday morning.

They tweeted: “At 3am today, NDAvengers blew up the SPDC forcados 48’ exportline.”

“We warned SPDC not to go ahead with repair works but they refused.”
On Thursday, they also claimed that they had blown up pipelines in Bayelsa state.

Nigeria’s 2016 budget is benchmarked at $38 oil price and production quantity of 2.2 million barrels per day.

Although oil price has risen to nearly $50, production has gone down to as low as 1.4 million barrels per day, leading to a shortfall.

The budget already had a $2 billion deficit before the Niger Delta crisis.

Credit: Sun

We Will Deal With Pipeline Vandals Like Boko Haram Insurgents- Buhari

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President Muhammadu Buhari has issued a stern warning to vandals and saboteurs blowing up oil and gas installations, saying the full weight of the law would be unleashed on them should they continue in their nefarious acts.

The President said the fate of the Boko Haram insurgents in the hands of the Nigerian armed forces would be their lot. Speaking at a meeting with members of the Nigerian community in China, President Buhari said he would not relent in the fight against corruption. According to him, corruption is an arch-enemy of the nation, which has destroyed the lives of many Nigerians.

He said: “I ask for your support to make our vision of stamping out corruption a reality in the shortest possible time. Whoever is caught will not be spared. The government is still being dared, but those who are sensible should have learned a lesson. Those who are mad, let them continue in their madness.

“I am aware that in the last two weeks, the national grid collapsed a number of times. I hope this message will reach the vandals and saboteurs who are blowing up pipelines and installations. We will deal with them the way we dealt with Boko Haram.”

President Buhari assured the Nigerian community that the Federal Government was working very hard to overcome current national challenges and deliver on its promise of a better Nigeria.

Credit: vanguardngr

3 Killed, 7 Injured As Explosion Rocks Agip Pipeline

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Three persons were yesterday burnt beyond recognition and seven others sustained various degrees of burns following an explosion that hit the pipeline belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in Olugboboro community in Olodiama clan of Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa State.

The explosion,which occurred on Easter Sunday while some technical staff of an Oil contacting firm known as Maco Marine,were working to clamp a ruptured section of the Agip Pipeline,was brought under control on  Monday.

Three of the victims, including an underwater welder identified as  Nelson Negibo,were burnt beyond recognition and their corpses recovered on Monday after the fire subsided.

Two of the victims were further identified as indigenes of Ada-ma in Twon-Brass of Brass local government area of the state.

Most of the victims with various degrees of burns, according to community sources, have been flown to various clinics in Bayelsa and Rivers States.

Confirming the incident, the state coordinator of the environmental group known as Environmental Right Action (ERA),Comrade Morris Alagoa,described the incident as a shocking and tragic.

Credit: Leadership

Forum Urges FG To Empower Security Forces In Pipeline Monitoring

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The Chairman of the Producers’ Forum of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Emmanuel Onuorah, on Monday urged the Federal Government to empower the security forces in the monitoring of oil pipelines.

Onourah made the call in an interview in Lagos. He noted that the spate of oil theft in the country had become worrisome.

Onourah said it was time modern technology was employed, instead of using unconventional methods through award of contracts. He advocated the need for sound pipeline integrity to enable safe transportation of crude and refined products in the country. “Pipeline installation can now be done using state of the art technology in a manner that will not be accessible to vandals.

“We expect that the managers of the pipelines can imbibe the culture of regular maintenance.

“The enabling legal instruments for sanctioning violators and defaulters should also be reviewed,” he said.

He urged the Federal Government to develop the political will to nip in the bud pipeline vandalism and oil theft in the country.

Credit: NAN

Suspected Militants Blow Up Main Gas Pipeline In Delta

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Are the Niger Delta militants posing a threat to the incoming administration of the former Head of State and president- elect, Major General Muhammadu Buhari as they did to current and past regimes?

This question has become relevant because, barely four days after Buhari was declared winner of the Presidential election, beating incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, suspected militants have blown up a major high pressure gas pipeline at Ighwrenene Community in Delta State, warning the President-elect that he may have his hands full in containing the economic sabotage. The incident allegedly occurred around 2:30 am yesterday.

Read More: Vanguard