The Nigerian army has announced the arrest of 19 suspected oil militants in the Niger Delta region which took place today. The soldiers foiled an attempt to blow up a pipeline operated by the Nigerian subsidiary of Italy’s Eni and arrested suspected pipeline thugs and oil thieves.
Vanguard reports that according to the statement, three coordinators of “several pipeline bombings” were among those arraigned in operations conducted across the oil-producing southern states of Bayelsa and Delta. The statement says: “One of the arrested suspects, John Oboka — aka Jamaica — confessed to being part of the group that bombed the Nigerian Petroleum Developing Company (NPDC) crude oil pipeline at Escravos.” However, there was no sign as to whether those suspected militants were connected to the Niger Delta Avengers, the high-profile group that has claimed a series of attacks on oil and gas pilelines since February.
The Federal government has offered to negotiate with the Avengers but the militant group has denied reports it has met government representatives. The attacks on the oil industry have cut production to an estimated 1.6 million barrels per day, well below the expected 2.2 million bpd.
Vanguard reports that according to the statement, three coordinators of “several pipeline bombings” were among those arraigned in operations conducted across the oil-producing southern states of Bayelsa and Delta. The statement says: “One of the arrested suspects, John Oboka — aka Jamaica — confessed to being part of the group that bombed the Nigerian Petroleum Developing Company (NPDC) crude oil pipeline at Escravos.” However, there was no sign as to whether those suspected militants were connected to the Niger Delta Avengers, the high-profile group that has claimed a series of attacks on oil and gas pilelines since February.
The Federal government has offered to negotiate with the Avengers but the militant group has denied reports it has met government representatives. The attacks on the oil industry have cut production to an estimated 1.6 million barrels per day, well below the expected 2.2 million bpd.
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