Again, militants attack two oil pipelines, SPDC shuts in production
Militants struck twice in the Niger Delta region on Monday, forcing the Shell Petroleum Development Company to shut in some production in one of the damaged facilities — the Nembe Trunk line in Kula, Rivers State.
The second facility (pipeline) attacked by the militants is located in Rumuekpe, Emuoha Local Government. The owner of the pipeline was yet to be ascertained as 7pm on Monday.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta claimed responsibility for the attacks just as the Nigerian Army said that it would continue to use minimum force in its efforts to restore peace in the area.
The Public Affairs Manager of the SPDC, Mr. Precious Okolobo, explained that the decision to close the Nembe Trunk line was to prevent more crude from spilling into the neigbourhood.
Okolobo, however, said the company was still trying to find out the extent of the damage to the trunk line, one of the major components of its operations.
He said, “We can confirm some damage to our Nembe Trunk line and we are working to ascertain the extent of damage to it.
“But as a precautionary measure, we have shut in some production so that more crude does not sip into the environment.”
MEND said in an e-mail statement to THE PUNCH that the attack was carried out in fulfilment of its pledge to resume hostilities in the region.
The two-paragraph statement reads, “In keeping with our pledge to resume pipeline attacks within the next 30 days, our detonation engineers backed by heavily armed fighters today (Monday) sabotaged two major pipelines in Rivers State of Nigeria.
“The first pipeline is located in Kula, which has been previously sabotaged by us and the second in Rumuekpe both belonging, we believe, to the SPDC.”
But when contacted on the telephone, the Spokesman for the Joint Task Force, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, claimed that no attack was carried out on the facility in Rumuekpe.
Musa said the facility in Rumukpe was heavily guarded by troops from the task force.
MEND had on July 19 attacked the multi-million dollar Bonga and Pennington oil fields of the SPDC.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has said that in spite of losing some of its men in the battle to restore peace in the Niger Delta region, it would not apply full military force in dislodging the militants in the Niger Delta.
The Army Chief of Operations, Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Sale, told journalists in Kontagora, Niger State on Monday, that the Army needed to exercise restraint because the militants were a symmetric force (weaker force).
Sale said, “We cannot use our might to resolve the crisis in the Niger Delta and this is because of the simple reason that it is a homeland affair.
“We regard what the militants are fighting for as a home affair. So the best thing to do is to use the minimum possible force to resolve the crisis.”
He said another reason why the Army would not embark on full scale war against militants was because every Nigerian had the right to express his or her dislike against some perceived misgivings in the country.
Also on Monday, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Luka Yussuf, empahsised the need for officers and men of the Nigerian Army to be trained on a regular basis.
Yussuf, in a message to the opening of a four- day Combat Support Arms Training in Kontagora , said that the nation’s combat support troops were well trained and equipped to cope with modern day warfare.
In his address, the Commander, Corps of Artillery, Maj.- Gen. John Samuel, noted that training was a phenomenon the Army should not allow to be taken to the back stage.
He said history was replete with instances whereby armies had failed or lost battles because they lacked up-to-date training to meet present day challenges.
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