RENEWED militancy in the Niger Delta appears to have taken a turn for the worse yesterday when armed youths blew up a gas pipeline operated by Nigerian Agip Oil Company at Ogbembiri in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Believed to be the handiwork of the new militant group the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), the latest attack represents the latest in a series of high-profile attacks on facilities in the region. This attack raises questions within the community over why security agencies saddled with the responsibility of protecting oil installations are unable to stop the frequent breaches.
Suspected ex-militants also recently attacked a pipeline carrying crude oil located at Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, resulting in an oil spill in the environment. During the latest attack, the gunmen reportedly stormed the community at about 9 pm on Sunday, traced the pipeline and ruptured it at the same point where it had been repaired after the last attack.
While some sources said dynamite was used to blow up the pipeline, others said the gunmen deployed other mechanical devices to rupture the line along the axis. This pipeline is said to cross Tumor community in Bomadi, Delta State, Ogbuasiri in Ekeremor Local Government Area and Ogbembiri in Southern Ijaw, both in Bayelsa State.
One source said: "Agip awarded the contract for security surveillance and repairs of the pipeline in the event of a breach to a contractor from the community. So the contractor enjoys the dual contract of protecting the pipeline and also repairing it whenever there is a leakage but it is baffling how it increasingly comes under attack.”
He added that it is a major pipeline because it supplies gas for domestic consumption, noting that Agip had spent a lot of money fixing it. While the pipeline is said to be relatively safe in other communities, it is continuously breached in the Southern Ijaw community, the source added.
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