BARELY 48 hours after kidnapping nine expatriates, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta on Sunday gave a fresh seven-day notice to multinational oil firms in the country to vacate their offices.
The movement also said that it would detain the nine oil workers in the creeks until the demands of the Niger Delta people were met.
But the Shell Petroleum Development Company on Sunday suspended the export of 380,000 barrels daily from its Forcados Terminal. It also decided to evacuate all its workers in the volatile areas of the Niger Delta.
MEND, which claimed responsibility for the latest hostage taking, made its position known in an unsigned email to the media in Lagos.
The movement said its Operation Black February had begun; it vowed to target any indigene of the Niger Delta aiding the Federal Government to attack militants in the region.
It said, �That Operation Restore Hope should make adequate plans to secure the administrative offices of miultinational oil companies in the Niger Delta. At the end of seven days, there shall be a blood flood on any person, group of persons found within, around or about the perimeter of every multinational oil company.�
It cautioned the oil firms against ignoring the latest notice like they did in the past.
�That we are faceless, fearless, forthright and firm in our fight for the freedom of fairness, equity and justice for the Niger Delta child! Our demands are rigid and non-negotiable!
�Any son of the Niger Delta that deems it relevant to sabotage the noble cause to emancipate the region by resorting to cheap politicking for the appetites of whatever plausible self-gratification principle, shall be accorded the ultimate respect of death by the hangman of MEND.�
Although MEND pledged to treat the nine hostages with hospitality, it foreclosed their early release.
It added �Today, MEND had decreed that we shall keep the nine foreign personnel of the multinational oil companies as guests to the hospitability of the gods of Izonland as long as they deem it necessary to convince the Federal Republic of Nigeria to pay heed to the review, reorder, and satisfy the bills of our demands.
�We cannot say for how long we will keep these hostages or give any motivating factor for their release except for the meeting of our conditions. These hostages will not be treated as well as the previous ones.
�They are all well so far.�
The group, in another statement to AFP, also said that it had renewed its demand that Shell should pay $1.5 billion (1.2 billion euros) in compensation to Ijaw fishing communities whose waters have been polluted by oil.
The militants also demanded the release of two jailed Ijaws, Alhaji Mujahedeen Asari-Dokubo and the ousted Bayelsa State governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who is accused of embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars.
Apart from the MEND�s ultimatum, a new group, TORU-PAKA MINAFA Brigade (Martyrs Brigade), emerged on Sunday in the Niger Delta vowing to embark on clandestine terrorist attacks on Abuja and Lagos.
In a statement by its leader and spokesperson, Cynthia Whyte, the brigade asked all foreigners to leave the Niger Delta within 48 hours.
It said, �Britain must revalidate all protectorate treaties signed between her and the various city states and kingdoms of the Ijaw Nation and the Niger Delta
�All foreigners and non-citizens of the Ijaw Nation and Niger Delta protected territories must immediately vacate the territory
�We are stepping up our campaign. In the next few hours and at the expiration of the given deadline, we will begin to deliver to all collaborators and agents of the Nigerian state, open �pain cheques.��
Following the assault, the Shell Petroleum Development Company announced that it was suspending exports from the 380,000-barrel-per-day Forcados Terminal, which handles 15 per cent of Nigeria�s oil.
Shell�s production was already down by 106,000 barrels per day when the latest violence broke out because last month the company closed four of its oil flow stations in the Western Delta due to security fears.
Saturday�s evacuation of the East Area offshore field cuts output by a further 115,000 barrels of oil per day.
The Niger Delta, a 70,000 square kilometres (27,000 square miles) swathe of swampland and mangrove, produces 2.6 million barrels per day, but most people in the region live in grinding poverty and resentment of government is high.
Shell�s offshore exploration arm, Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company, had shut in approximately115,000bpd, and elected to evacuate the EA Field, following the attacks.
The combined shut in has cut about 495,000 barrels or 20 per cent of Nigeria�s 2.4million barrels daily supply to the world and resulted in losses of about $29million (N3.75billion) per day.
The oil-producing giant, however, confirmed in a statement that the three separate incidents, affected its operations during the attacks.
The incidents were a fire outbreak at the Forcados Crude Oil Loading Terminal, which is located some 20 kilometres offshore.
There was also an attack on a barge belonging to an SPDC contractor, Wilbros, in the Forcados estuary; and an explosion on an oil pipeline to the Forcados Terminal in the Chanomi area, where the nine expatriates were abducted.
Shell stated that the fire had been put out.
It said it had continued with the investigation of the cause and damage to the facility, as well as the impact of the incidents on its operations.
The statement, signed by its External Relations Manager, Mr. Don Boham, added, �We understand that nine expatriates have been taken hostage but are unable to make further comments.
�We recognise the immense strains placed upon the hostages, their families and contractor companies under the present circumstances. We continue to cooperate with the Nigerian authorities and the hostages� employer and offer every assistance to secure the safe release of the hostages.
�We continue to monitor the field for the safety of our staff. We continue to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of staff, contractors and the people in the communities where we operate.�
He said Shell would evacuate its staff from the volatile areas of the Niger Delta.
Boham said the management of the company took the decision on Sunday after a meeting in Port Harcourt, which was presided over by its Managing Director, Mr. Basil Omiyi.
Boham told our correspondents on the phone that the measure was a precautionary step to safeguard the lives of the staff.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Sunday said that there would be no shortage of products, in spite of the cut in crude supply to its Warri and Kaduna refineries, following the Saturday attacks on crude pipelines in the Niger Delta.
The NNPC�s General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, told our correspondents that, �The NNPC would have to change its importation programme and import more products.�
But the Federal Government tried on Sunday to contact a rebel militia to negotiate the release of the nine foreign workers.
�President Olusegun Obasanjo wishes to assure all stakeholders in the region that everything possible is being done to secure the speedy release of the hostages through dialogue,� the Minister of Information, Mr. Frank Nweke Jnr. said.
President Olusegun Obasanjo has ordered the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, code-named �Operation Restore Hope�, to stop further hostilities in the region.
Obasanjo directed the JTF, led by Brig. Gen. Elias Zamani, to stop the ongoing military raid in order not to further heat up the situation in the area.
The Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori, made the disclosure at a meeting with the elders and youth leaders of Gbaramatu Kingdom, an Ijaw community suspected to be harbouring the militants who kidnapped the nine expatriate oil workers in Buturu Local Government Area of the state on Saturday.
Although Ibori said he was not in support of criminal activities, especially oil bunkering, he assured that Obasanjo had ordered that military bombardment of the area be stopped forthwith by the JTF.
The governor, however, urged them to prevail on their youths to release the hostages as a mark of respect for Obasanjo.
�No further military action on the water or air as directed by Mr. President but go and release the hostages,� a source at the meeting quoted Ibori as saying.
The Puwei of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Chief Jonathan Ari, led the Ijaw delegation.
His kinsmen at the meeting were Mr. George Timinimi; Mr. Kingsley Otuaro; Mr. Dan Ekpebide; and former Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Bosin Ebikeme.
The Senior Special Assistant to Ibori on Media Affairs, Mr. Abel Oshevire, confirmed that his boss held session with the Gbaramatu leaders to secure the release of the expatriates unhurt.
The Chairman of the Ugborodo Management Committee, Mr. Thomas Ereyitomi on Sunday warned the Ijaw militants against attacking oil installations in Itsekiri areas.
He said, �They (Ijaw) can blow or fight the Federal Government, but they should blow the oil facilities in their areas alone and not the ones in our (Itsekiri) areas. If they feel that the only way to present their grievances is to blow up oil pipelines, we are not opposed to it, but for God�s sake, they should confine themselves to their areas.
�Those (Ijaw) people should not push the Itsekiri against them to renew the Warri crisis because we are not going to fold our arms while they preserve oil facilities in their areas and blow up those in our (Itsekiri) area.�