MILITANT youths in the Niger Delta plan to launch fresh attacks on oil facilities in the region.
The United States (U.S) embassy in Abuja which raised the alarm in a security notice yesterday said it had received information that Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) was preparing attacks against unspecified oil installations and pipelines in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers.
The embassy warned U.S citizens of the dangers of travelling to Nigeria especially the Niger Delta.
It was unclear why the embassy issued the notice to its citizens almost four weeks after the MEND itself made the same threat.
“These attacks may be preceded by the taking of hostages to be used as human shields,” it said.
It provided no more information.
The MEND itself said in an e-mail to the media on September 23 that it would resume attacks on oil installations and abduct foreign workers in response to the arrest of one of its leaders Jomo Gbomo in Angola. It has yet to carry out the threat.
Part of the notice read: :”This travel warning is being re-issued to note a further deterioration in the security situation in the Niger Delta region, due to recent car bombings in the city of Port Harcourt and continuing kidnappings of expatriates in that area. American citizens should depart from and defer non-essential travel to Delta, Bayesa, and Rivers states. This warning also provides an update on aviation safety in Nigeria and addresses upcoming elections. It supersedes the Travel Warning for Nigeria issued August 24, 2006.
“The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens of the dangers of travel to Nigeria. The lack of law and order in Nigeria poses considerable risks to travelers. Violent crime committed by ordinary criminals, as well as by persons in police and military uniforms, can occur throughout the country and tends to peak between November and January, during the holiday period.
“The security situation in the Niger Delta region has deteriorated significantly over the past year. Travel to the region remains dangerous and should be avoided. Throughout the year, a number of expatriate workers in the oil industry, including American citizens, have been held hostage for days or weeks. Hostages have been taken from oil facilities, public roadways, and within the city of Port Harcourt. While most have been released unharmed, one militant group has threatened to kill oil workers and their families and, in November 2006, a British national was killed during an attempted kidnapping.