BOMBED—Major Gen. Alani Okunola, Commander of the Joint Task Force (Middle); pointing to part of a severed pipeline, while Brig. Gen. Farouk Yahaya, Commander, 4 Brigade, Benin (2nd left); Lt. Col. Igwe P. Omoke, Commanding Officer, 3 Battalion Effurun (2nd right)and others watch during inspection of the gas pipeline in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State bombed by suspected militants. Inset: Other damaged areas. Photos: Akpokona Omafuaire.
By Victor Ahiuma-Young
Oil producers are evacuating workers from the Niger Delta because of deteriorating security situation in Nigeria’s most important oil-producing region, organised labour has said.
Chairman of Rivers State chapter of Trade Union Congress, TUC, Mr. Chika Onuegbu, who disclosed this yesterday, said evacuation of workers was done in areas the militants attacked, saying operations were ongoing in safer areas.
FILE: BOMBED Pipeline
Onuegbu, also former Chairman of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, said: “The companies whose facilities had been attacked have evacuated staff in some areas.
“Managements and unions are on the alert and monitoring security and other developments in the areas.
“They have cut off crude supplies to Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries. There is also the attack on Chevron Valve Platform in Abiteye; very sophisticated attacks.”
However, none of the spokespersons for the international oil companies, IOCs, when contacted, responded to Vanguard calls, text messages and electronic mails sent to them, including Shell and Chevron, except ExxonMobil, who simply said: “No comments.”
Disclaimer
Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.