AGAIN: Militants Hit Pipeline Facility, Kill Three Soldiers

The Nigerian Army lost three soldiers in two different boat accidents yesterday in Bayelsa and Delta states respectively, even as another explosion was recorded on an oil facility in Delta State, when suspected militants hit the Escravos-Warri gas pipeline, around Ogbeljoh, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State. In the first incident, two soldiers died in an accident involving a military boat carrying soldiers who were on an operation to carry out anon- the-spot assessment of the destruction of the Escravos-Warri gas pipeline. 

A source told Naira Reportrers that incident, which occurred at about 10:00 am yesterday, was as a result of an engine malfunction. However, there were no official confirmation of the accident as at the time of filing this report, as both the spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Pulo Shield, Colonel Isa Ado and the Commanding Officer of the 3 Battalion, Effunrun Barracks, Major Monday Anzaku, were unavailable. 

According to the source who preferred to remain anonymous, the team on the boat was heading to the scene of the pipeline explosion when the boat capsized, killing the two soldiers. “They were going for an assessment of an explosion that happened on a facility at Ediri when the boat was involved in an accident. The boat was trying to negotiate a bend when it capsized. “The boat captain suspected that it might have been caused by an engine malfunction. There were five people on the boat, two died while the other three made it out alive,” the source said. 

Our correspondent confirmed yesterday that the Warri-Escravos gas pipeline was again sabotaged in the early hours of Friday, though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. It was gathered that those behind yesterday’s attack used dynamites and other dangerous weapons to carry out the attack. It happened at about 2am. Confirming the incident, the spokesman of the Ijaw Youths Congress (IYC), Eric Omare, who is from Ogbe-Ijoh, said his community people informed him of the incident. “I got a call from the village this morning that there has been an explosion on a pipeline located behind Salvation City. I think it is the one that links Escravos to Warri and I’m not sure of the operators, but I think it will be either NNPC or NGC,” he said. 

In the second accident, an unidentified soldier attached to the Niger Delta’s Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield (OPS), drowned in a boat accident in Bayelsa State. It was gathered that the soldier was escorting oil workers from an oil spill site when their boat capsized at Taylor Creek, near an oilfield operated by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in Okordia, Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state. A source in the community who spoke in confidence, said that the soldier died before help could come his way. According to the source, “The boat conveying the crew from Agip’s field capsized on their way back from the site at the oilfield. And before help could come, the soldier drowned and died. 

They were using a hand paddled canoe to ferry the workers across the water one at a time. “The soldier was washing his boots when water entered the boat. It capsized and the soldier’s riffle fell into the creeks. The other members of the crew had crossed and were waiting for the soldier who could not make it.” 

The source said that the attention of the fishermen operating along the creek was drawn to the ill-fated boat, but that the soldier had died before they could reach him. It was gathered that officials of NAOC, National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and oil workers were returning from an assessment visit to an oil leak site when the incident happened. The Youth President, Kalaba Community, in Okordia, Mr. Samuel Oburo, who confirmed the incident, said that the riffle of the deceased soldier was recovered by local divers on Friday. Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday assured oil companies operating in the Niger Delta of increased protection of their strategic assets from vandals and criminals. 

He gave the promise at a meeting with the Global Director (Upstream) of the Royal Dutch Shell Group, Mr. Andrew Brown, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, even as militants attacked the Escravos- Warri gas pipeline close to Ogbe-ljoh, Warri South-West council area of Delta state overnight. Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said he had directed the Chief of Naval Staff to reorganise and strengthen the military Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta to deal effectively with the resurgence of militancy and the sabotage of oil installations. 

The President told Mr. Brown that the operations of the JTF were being enhanced with increased support and cooperation from the United States and Europe in the areas of training, intelligence, equipment and logistics. “We have to be very serious with the situation in the Niger Delta because it threatens the national economy. I assure you that everything possible will be done to protect personnel and oil assets in the region,” 

President Buhari was quoted as saying. He urged aggrieved persons, militants and communities in the Niger Delta to drop their confrontational stance and work with those who have been charged by Government to review the Amnesty Programme for the benefit of all parties. Buhari praised the resilience and staying power of Shell in Nigeria despite the operational challenges of the environment . 

He urged the company to do its best to end gasflaring in the Niger Delta quickly and produce more gas for electricity generation to support manufacturing and job creation in the country. Mr. Brown had appealed for an urgent solution to rising crime and militancy in the Niger Delta. 

The Shell Executive also dispelled speculations that the company was pulling out of Nigeria. He said that contrary to such speculations, Shell was currently in discussions with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on new joint oil and gas projects.