Group repeats threat against Nigerian oil

Jan. 18, 2018
A militant group whose attacks slashed Nigerian oil production in 2016 has repeated a threat it made last November to renew and expand the violence. On its web site, the group, Niger Delta Avengers, said deepwater production equipment would be targeted.

A militant group whose attacks slashed Nigerian oil production in 2016 has repeated a threat it made last November to renew and expand the violence (OGJ Online, Nov. 3, 2017).

On its web site, the group, Niger Delta Avengers, said deepwater production equipment would be targeted.

Its attacks on pipelines and other oil installations cut Nigerian production to 1 million b/d from 1.65 million b/d in 2016.

Production mostly recovered after the group suspended hostilities in January last year.

In November, the group declared the amnesty to be over and said it would attack not only equipment but also oil company workers.

According to the latest announcement, “Some overzealous and over-patriotic elders intervened and appealed as they have done twice before then for us to avail them some more time to attend to the demands of the Niger Delta as championed by the Niger Delta Avengers.”

It said the pause hasn’t produced “any meaningful results” toward its goal of greater distribution of wealth from oil production to residents of the Niger Delta region.

The group said violence disrupting several areas of Nigeria “makes this the perfect time to restructure this country.”