The security situation in the Niger Delta worsened on Saturday night as the Ijaw militants blew up another oil facility in Agge, Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The facility known as the Agge Manifold serves as the converging point of crude oil from locations of the Shell Petroleum Development Company in Bayelsa State for conveyance to Forcados Loading Terminal in Delta State.
News on the incident came amid fears over the health of two of the three remaining hostages � Mr. Coydy Oswalt; Mr. Rospel Spell; and John Hudspith �being held by the militants in Delta State.
Our correspondents learnt that the militants had removed the major component parts of the Agge Manifold before returning to blow it up with explosives.
Oil spill was reportedly recorded around the location of the manifold, which was abandoned by the SPDC in the wake of the onslaught on oil workers and facilities in the Niger Delta.
Some hours after the attack, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta threatened to halve Nigeria�s current oil output by cutting another one million barrels a day this month.
Attacks by its members last month reduced output by 455,000 barrels a day.
�God willing we hope to reduce Nigeria�s export by a further one million barrels for the month of March,� Reuters quoted the MEND as saying through an e-mail.
�There will be inland operations in March as well as standard creek attacks,� it added.
The SPDC External Relations Manager, Western Division, Mr. Harriman Oyofo, confirmed the latest attack on the company�s facility in a telephone interview with our correspondents on Sunday afternoon.
Oyofo said, �The incident happened on Saturday. They (militants) merely came to blow up what they had destroyed before. They had vandalised the manifold before. This time around, they just blew it up completely.�
It will be recalled that the militants blew up the Odidi tie-in and Chanomi Creeks manifolds of the SPDC in Delta State recently.
There were, however, fears over the health of two of the three hostages yet to freed by the militants.
A member of the Delta State committee on the release of the hostages, told our correspondents on Sunday afternoon that, �A report came from our boys (Ijaw militants) this morning (Sunday) that two of the expatriates have fallen sick and that we should send drugs to them.
�Our dilemma lies in ascertaining the nature of their ailment and the appropriate drugs to send to them. But the committee has passed the message to the state government for appropriate action.��
But the Press Secretary to Delta State Governor, Mr. Sunny Areh, said the government was not aware that any of the hostages was sick.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Community in Abuja has warned the Federal Government against the use of force in resolving the issue of hostage taking in the Niger Delta.
The community, at a news conference in Abuja on Sunday, said it was necessary to avoid violence in order to avert war in the troubled region.
The President of the community, Mr. Wele Alex Wele, advised the government to intensify at negotiation with the militants to free the remaining hostages.