| A Nigerian militant group, the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC), said Sunday it had “successfully disabled” a major oil pipeline operated by Shell in Nigeria’s oil producing Niger Delta region.
The group said in an online statement that the trunk line was attacked on Saturday in the swamp of Obunoma in Akukutoru council of Rivers State. The trunk line connects Nembe Creek, Belema, Soku Field, Ekulama 1 and 2 flow stations to the Bonny Export Terminal in Bonny Island of Rivers state. Saying it was resuming its armed struggle to push for a more equitable distribution of the oil wealth, the group vowed to mobilise ”all patriotic forces in the Niger Delta to wage a consistent revol utionary war” until the last piece of its territory was liberated from the occup a tion forces. However, Shell spokesman Precious Okolobo said the firm was yet to receive report on the sabotage of any of its facilities. Last week, Shell confirmed the attack on its key Trans-Ramos pipeline also in the region. The region’s largest militant group Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) stopped short of claiming responsibility for that attack, saying it would ”re-visit the Trans-Ramos pipeline which we attacked in June last year after it has been repaired, as well as other oil facilities around the Niger Delta in the weeks to come.” MEND has called off it unilateral ceasefire and vowed to resume attacks against oil facilities in the region. |
Feb92010