Following the blowing up of Chevron’s Valve Platform Wednesday night by Niger Delta militants, Nigeria will be losing an estimated $5.3 million daily, equivalent of N1.05 billion.
The militants blew up the platform located on the high sea near Escravos in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.
It was gathered that Chevron operations in the area would be halted as the platform is a major connecting point where all other platforms link up and serves as a fulcrum to Chevron BOP and the Chevron tank farm.
Also, it was learnt that nothing less than 130,000 barrels of oil per day would be lost to the incident.
By calculation, and going by the current price of crude in the international market, $41.02, the country would be losing an estimate of $5.3 million daily.
An oil expert described the attack as a major setback to the country’s oil production, saying the facility is among the company’s most significant platforms.
Though Chevron was yet to come out with an official statement on the attack, a new militant group in the region, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), has claimed responsibility.
According to a statement issued by the group’s spokesman, Madoch Agbinibo, “The high command of the Niger Delta Avengers wants to use this medium to thank Strike Team 6 for successfully blowing up the Chevron Valve Platform. And we are ready to protect the Niger Delta people.
“This is what we promised the Nigerian government. Since they refused to listen to us we are going to zero the economy of the country.
“As for zeroing the Nigerian economy, the Niger Delta Avengers is done with Delta State major oil installations. Now, we are taking the fight out of the creeks to the Niger Delta. We are taking it to Abuja and Lagos now.
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“We want to pass this message to the 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 had earlier claimed responsibility for the attack on the Forcados 48-inch Export Pipeline, which was attacked two months ago.
Meanwhile, report of this latest attack was broken by navy spokesman, Chris Ezekobe, on Thursday, saying that the attack occurred about 40 nautical miles from the Escravos terminal, around the southern city of Warri.
The commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta, Raimi Mohammed, who said he got the news as well but said he could not say much on the incident until after it has been confirmed.
“We got news like that this morning but we are yet to confirm. We have asked our people in Escravos to confirm. It happened deep offshore but we need confirmation to know what really happened,” he said.
The latest attack, however, happened less than three weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari threatened to treat pipeline vandals like Boko Haram Islamist militants.
Buhari had told some Nigerians resident in China that “the government is still being dared, but those who are sensible should have learnt a lesson. Those who are mad, let them continue in their madness.
“I am aware that in the last two weeks, the national grid collapsed a number of times. I hope this message will reach the vandals and saboteurs who are blowing up pipelines and installations. We will deal with them the way we dealt with Boko Haram.”
The militants said they would not relent until they grind the economy to a halt
https://www.today.ng/news/national/117441/nigeria-lose-5-daily-militants-blow-chevrons-platform

Militants attacked a Chevron (CVX.N) platform in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta region late on Wednesday, the U.S. energy company said on Thursday, amid growing fears of a revived militant campaign in the region.

It is the latest in a series of attacks on oil facilities in Africa's top oil exporter. President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to crack down on "vandals and saboteurs" in the Delta region, which produces most of the country's oil.

In a statement, the energy company said Chevron Nigeria Limited, operator of a joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), said an attack took place at about 11.15 pm (1715 ET) on Wednesday.

"Its Okan offshore facility in the Western Niger Delta region was breached by unknown persons," said Chevron in the statement. "The facility is currently shut-in and we are assessing the situation, and have deployed resources to respond to a resulting spill."

There were no immediate details of any casualties. The company could not be reached for further comment.

A group known as the Niger Delta Avengers claimed responsibility for the attack, and in a statement it said it blew up the platform.

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"This is what we promised the Nigeria government since they refuse to listen to us," the group said.

The same group has said it carried out an attack on a Shell (RDSa.L) oil pipeline in February which shut down the 250,000 barrel-a-day Forcados export terminal.

The militants say they want a greater share of oil revenues. Crude sales account for around 70 percent of national income in Africa's biggest economy.

Pipeline attacks and violence have risen in Nigeria's southern swampland since authorities issued an arrest warrant in January for a former militant leader on corruption charges.

Buhari has extended a multi-million dollar amnesty signed with militants in 2009 but upset them by ending generous pipeline protection contracts.

The militancy is a further challenge for a government faced with an insurgency by the Islamist militant Boko Haram group in the northeast and violent clashes between armed nomadic herdsmen and locals over land use in various parts of the country.

(Aditional reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram, in Lagos, Anamesere Igboeroteonwu, in Onitsha, and Libby George, in London; editing by Susan Thomas and Alexandra Hudson)
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0XW1PL

Plz some1 shud tell hausa fulani dat aba is nt enugu.we will nt tolerate shit hia.

Very unfortunate. All I see is the hand of Tompolo, but the govt should send out an olive branch. We already have too much battles we're facing.

Buhari is killing this country, Seriously. The man is just a heartless megalomaniac.

On one hand, Nigeria is losing valuable revenue but the supply disruptions in Nigeria is helping crude oil prices rise

MrDavidson:
Very unfortunate. All I see is the hand of Tompolo, but the govt should send out an olive branch. We already have too much battles we're facing.

Will undiplomatic, stubborn and obstinate Buhari do such

kodded:





I thought apc zombies claim that militants are toothless

I know you are happy but dont complain of hardship/lack of electricity. Abeg.

They need to develop the oil wells in Anambra and Enugu.

Way to go boys.

SeverusSnape:
Buhari is killing this country, Seriously. The man is just a heartless megalomaniac.

My brother you need to stop walking on your brain we are in 2016,why blaming buhari when the armnesty program is still on? i really want to know the point you are trying to make or are you saying that EFCC should stop prosecuting Tompolo? Please! always try to think before you post
Any militant that refuse to partake in the on going armnesty programme must be wipe off the face of the earth

What is all this........

Live and let live Nigerians

Send in the Cavalry to damage this bloody touts destroying the eco-system, FG should condition payment of derivation fees on the peace, else derivation fees should be used for ramping up security and deploying deterents. I await FG sending troops to flush out tompolo and return him in a body bag if need be. Nigeria has tried to be as conciliatory as it can to criminals who serve only their pockets while harming other civilians by destroying the lands.

Stalwert:
Send in the Calvary to damage this bloody touts destroying the eco-system, FG should condition payment of derivation fees on the peace, else derivation fees should be used for ramping up security and deploying deterents. I await FG sending troops to flush out tompolo and return him in a body bag if need be. Nigeria has tried to be as conciliatory as it can to criminals who serve only their pockets while harming other civilians by destroying the lands.

Vedaxcool, It's Cavalry in this context, not Calvary. Calvary is used when referring to Jesus' 'cross of Calvary' which was used to crucify him.

By the way, Your comment is utter nonsense.

Not again! Let's allow PMB face the war against Boko boys alone now. We can't bee fighting too many battles. To Mr PMB pls try as much as possible to be diplomatic, it worked for late Yara'dua, it can work for u too if u soft peddle a bit

SeverusSnape:
Buhari is killing this country, Seriously. The man is just a heartless megalomaniac.

So there were no attacks on oil installations or pipelines during 'ebele's' time?


Stop reasoning like 'ebele' abeg!

bettercreature:
My brother you need to stop walking on your brain we are in 2016,why blaming buhari when the armnesty program is still on? i really want to know the point you are trying to make or are you saying that EFCC should stop prosecuting Tompolo? Please! always try to think before you post
Any militant that refuse to partake in the on going armnesty problem must be wipe off the face of the earth

Oya, Let's blame Jonathan.

TheNonce:



So there were no attacks on oil installations or pipelines during 'ebele's' time?


Stop reasoning like 'ebele' abeg!

We all know Jonathan himself went into the creeks to negotiate with the militants, So as to bring the impasse to an end. But Buhari, being the foolishly obstinate power drunk that he is, won't do the same. We don't expect him to go there himself, He can send some emissaries.

You don't have to fight every war, Negotiations and diplomacy is very important.

Are we not holding oil companies responsible for securing these assets?
May be we may have to nationalise the oil firms.

Simeonnwabeks:


I know you are happy but dont complain of hardship/lack of electricity. Abeg.

We are glad PDP shows happiness to our suffering it clearly put them as a collection of criminals who support criminality.

Simeonnwabeks:


I know you are happy but dont complain of hardship/lack of electricity. Abeg.

sharap when the militants refuses to strike, people like you were shouting that the new sheriff is in town

hope your 'new sheriff' never travel go france

SeverusSnape:


Vedaxcool, It's Clavary in this context, not Calvary. [s]Calvary is used when referring to Jesus' 'cross of Calvary' which was used to crucify him. [/s]

[s]By the way, Your comment is utter nonsense.[/s]

Never heard of Clavary, anyway you have been noticed

Stalwert:


We are glad PDP shows happiness to our suffering it clearly put them as a collection of criminals who support criminality.

same way apc celebrated every bombing in Gej government

Stalwert:


Never heard of[b] Clavary[/b], anyway you have been noticed

Why did you change what I typed?? you can't even embolden a text, It's Cavalry my friend, Check your lexicon if you have one, which I doubt. Go school you no gree.

bettercreature:
My brother you need to stop walking on your brain we are in 2016,why blaming buhari when the armnesty program is still on? i really want to know the point you are trying to make or are you saying that EFCC should stop prosecuting Tompolo? Please! always try to think before you post
Any militant that refuse to partake in the on going armnesty problem must be wipe off the face of the earth

1 billion likes

kodded:







same way apc celebrated every bombing in Gej government

Don't mind the hypocrites. Why do you think we were calling them "supporters of APC" back then??

^^^ you see, I intended to type janjaweeds_, Nairaland bot changed it to "Supporters of APC".

let them continuing spilling their land and expect Buhari to do the cleaning....

Lord please dash Buhari sense, show him the way other humans use their brain. There, I have done it. One of the virulent APC supporters just claimed that if I don't pray for this government, then I am not a good citizen.

Strength is not by military might. I suspected this would happen. Buhari would be completely powerless in the face of these militants. I have worked in niger delta, inside these creeks drilling oil. I can assure you, dialogue is the only way, you can't fish the militants out unless you destroy the whole of niger delta which Nigeria government definitely can't do. He is a dunce.

Simeonnwabeks:


I know he will throw insult, an archibong can never make sense anyway so its no surprise. So anyone that call kids like you out must be APC, common sense is not truly common. What a big shame.

Supporters of criminality are never known to have moral decorum