The group is said to be spread across 10 local government areas of the state.
A militia group, Niger Delta Liberators Force (NDLF) has claimed responsibility for last Friday and Saturday’s attacks on oil facilities of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Ltd (NPDC) at OML 30 lines at Emevor, Isoko North Local Government Area and Otu-Jeremi in Ughelli South Local Government Area of the state.
According to the group, the reason behind the attacks carried out in the early hours of Friday, June 2, 2023, and Saturday, June 3, 2023, was to draw the attention of the Nigerian government and the Delta State government to the “disregard of our great ethnic nationalities by the federal government in the award of pipeline surveillance contracts both at the in-fields and the general surveillance.”
Claiming responsibility for the attacks, the group in a statement released on Sunday night to journalists and signed by one ‘General’ Flame Thrower for NDLF, said, “Our decision to attack crude oil installations of the government located in Emevor, Isoko North Local Government Area, and Otu-Jeremi in Ughelli South Local Government in the early hours of Friday, June 2, 2023, and Saturday, June 3, 2023 is to draw the attention of the federal government and the Delta state government to the plights of Isoko Nation which we have enumerated below.
“Isoko Nation is the second place crude oil was discovered in Nigeria in commercial quantity after Oloibiri in Bayelsa State in 1958. Since the beginning of crude oil exploration in the region until now, pipeline facilities have not been tampered with.
“In all, our peaceful existence has been interpreted as weakness and foolishness, hence, no viable federal presence in terms of development is noticeable in Isoko Land. Isoko and Urhobo Nations have been sabotaged and highly disregarded in the pipeline surveillance contract awarded by the federal government and subcontracted to other ethnic nationalities.
“Isoko and Urhobo Nations are not a conquered territory and will never be subservient to other ethnic groups in the region or in Nigeria. The infield pipeline surveillance contract meant for communities and indigenes of OML 30/ 34 (Isoko and Urhobo) have been ceded to Tantita Security owned by Ijaws, by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Mr Ali Muhammed Zahra under the watch of the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, Mr Mele Kolo Kyari.
“This move, we have interpreted as an attempt to groom inter-ethnic crisis in the region. The Niger Delta Region is multi-ethnic and no ethnic group is superior to other. The operating International Oil Companies in OML 30/ 34, namely Heritage Oil and Shoreline are secretly employing staff without cognizance of the Local Content Act.
“Where employments are offered to host communities, only unskilled labour suffices. This action we see as an insult to the intellectual property of our people whose vast majority are well-schooled.
“In view of this, we demand the details of the total workforce of the IOCs operating in our region. We are using this avenue to call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as well as the Delta state governor, Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, to take decisive official actions to resolve these issues, to forestall further devastating attacks on oil facilities in Isoko and Urhobo nations, as our gallant boys are well spread to put to stop all crude oil exploration activities in Isoko and Urhobo lands.”
