Attack On Shell Facility, National Sabotage - FG

Okey Muogbo, Bolaji Ogundele and Soji Ajibola - 21.06.2008

THE Federal government has condemned the attack on Shell Petroleum installations by men of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) describing them as national saboteurs.

In astatement on Friday signed by the special assistant to President Umaru Yar’Adua on Communications, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, the President promised to deal with the militants who carried out the attack.

While promising to continue with efforts to address the problems of the Niger Delta region, the government warned that it would not tolerate criminal activities in the area.

Said the statement, “the Federal Government wholly condemns yesterday’s attack on the Bonga Oil Field operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company.

“President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has directed the country’s Armed Forces and security agencies to take all necessary action to apprehend the perpetrators of this latest act of national sabotage and bring them to justice.

“The President has further directed that security be beefed up at all oil facilities and installations in the Niger Delta to forestall further acts of terrorism by criminal elements in the region.

Meanwhile, reports that Pennington Oil Field, another facility operated by the oil giant, Royal Dutch Shell, was also attacked by Niger Delta militants on Thursday, may not be correct after all as sources claim the facility is intact.

Saturday Tribune learnt on Friday from reliable sources within the company that the only report of attack available to the company was the one on Bonga Deep Offshore field, which has been temporarily shut down.

According to the source, who spoke under condition of anonymity, where the Pennington oil field attack generated from was unknown to anybody in the company and that the only area of concern since Thursday had been the Bonga field.

"You must have seen the MEND statement, did it make any mention of any other place besides Bonga? If they had attacked Pennington, they would have detailed it. You must also realise that these places we are talking about are offshore, there are no persons, so it is difficult to accurately say what happened," the source said.

MEND had claimed responsibility for an attack on the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) —operated Bonga deep offshore oil field on Thursday.

The attack which caused an immediate close-down of the facility, it was gathered, has hampered the daily crude export of the country by 10%.

The company's spokesman, Precious Okolobo, had confirmed the attack on Thursday, saying that operations at the field had been temporarily shut down.

A statement from the company, confirming the attack, however, refuted the claim of abduction of any personnel from the operation field by the insurgents. The company said those who were rough-handled had been given medical care.

"SNEPCO's Bonga field was attacked on June 19 by unknown gunmen. We can account for all personnel in Bonga field, and have no report about people being taken hostage from our operations. Three people who were rough-handled have been treated for light injuries.