Nigeria’s crude oil and gas productions suffered further setback on Thursday as a major valve platform belonging to the Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) was bombed around Escravos, Warri South-West council area of Delta State.
The Defence authorities which confirmed the attack, said that efforts were being made to track the perpetrators of the heinous act.
The Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, said that the unfortunate incident occurred in the high sea on Wednesday night.
“Actually, it is true. It is unfortunate that this type of thing happened. It happened far into the high sea so efforts are being intensified to track the perpetrators.”
However, the Navy Spokesman, Commodore Chris Ezekobe, explained that the attack took place some four miles off the Escravos River.
According to him, the platform that was partially damaged was a collection point for crude oil and gas to the main Chevron facility in the area.
Ezekobe said that the Forward Operation Base of the Navy had already dispatched vessels to protect oil platforms in the area and the facility of the Shell Petroleum Development Company that was earlier blown up by a new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers in the Forcados area of Delta State.
He said, “Well, it is true, the incident happened four nautical miles off the Escravos Bar. The platform was partly damaged, it is a collection point for crude oil and gas to the main facility in the area, so it has affected production.
“Our Forward Operation Base in the area has sent vessels to protect the oil facilities in the area and the one that was attacked at the Forcados.”
NDA, in a statement issued by its spokesman, Col. Madoch Agbinibo, threatened the federal government that the recent deployment of soldiers to the oil-rich region would not deter it from crippling the nation’s economy.
“The high command of the Niger Delta Avengers wants to use this medium to thank strike team 6 for successfully blowing up of the Chevron Valve Platform. And we are ready to protect the Niger Delta people.
“This is what we promised the Nigerian government that since they refused to listen to us we are going to zero the economy of the country.
“As for zeroing the Nigerian economy, we the Niger Delta Avengers is done with Delta State major oil installations. Now we are taking the fight out off the creeks to the Niger Delta. We are taking it to Abuja and Lagos now.”
“We want to pass this message to the all international oil companies operating in the Niger Delta that the Nigeria military can’t protect their facilities. They should talk to the federal government to meet our demands else more mishaps will befall their installations,” the group said.
They threatened the multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta to prevail on the Federal Government to meet their demands. The demand were stated in a statement released on their website.
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