Nigerian militants attack oil facility, seize foreign seamen

Jul 6, 2009, 11:00 GMT

Nairobi/Abuja - Nigeria's main militant group said Monday it had blown up a Chevron oil pipeline junction and seized six foreign seamen as it continued to spurn a recent government amnesty offer.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has conducted a long-running campaign of sabotage in the oil-producing Niger Delta, cutting the West African nation's oil production by over 20 per cent since early 2006.

In an emailed statement, MEND spokesman Jomo Gbomo said that militants on Sunday night destroyed a manifold that delivers 80 per cent of the crude oil that Chevron sends to its BOP crude loading platform.

Chevron said it was looking into the claims.

Gbomo said in a later statement that six foreign seamen - three Russians, two Filipinos and an Indian - were seized on Sunday along with their ship.

'For disregarding our warning to oil, gas and chemical tankers to keep away from the Niger Delta waters, six crew members from the chemical tanker, Siehem Peace were seized ... and will be held until further notice,' he said.

President Umaru Yar'Adua recently unveiled a 60-day amnesty for the militants, offering a presidential pardon, education and training to those who lay down their arms within that period.

He also offered to release militant leader Henry Okah, who was arrested in Angola in 2007 and is facing charges of treason and gun- running.

MEND, however, has dismissed the offer and said it believes the government has no intention of releasing Okah. The group has launched several attacks on oil facilities since the amnesty offer was made almost two weeks ago.

The group on Saturday also warned that it will also sabotage plans for a trans-Saharan gas pipeline that aims to bring Nigerian gas to Europe.

Nigeria, Niger and Algeria on Friday signed an agreement on the pipeline, which is expected to cost around 13 billion and could deliver around 30 billion cubic metres of gas per year to Europe.

Total and Royal Dutch Shell have expressed interest in the project, as has Russian giant Gazprom, which recently signed a multi- billion dollar cooperation deal with Nigeria's state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Militants operating in the oil-producing Niger Delta say they are fighting for a larger share of the wealth for local residents, who complain the oil industry has ruined their agriculture and fishing livelihoods.

Criminal gangs and corrupt politicians are making vast amounts of money by stealing oil from the region, observers say.