NIGERIA: Niger Delta youths in Okordia vandalise a pipeline in Bayelsa State, Nigeria in anger after the cancellation of their surveillance contract by Royal Dutch Shell

Record ID: 235234

  • Title: NIGERIA: Niger Delta youths in Okordia vandalise a pipeline in Bayelsa State, Nigeria in anger after the cancellation of their surveillance contract by Royal Dutch Shell
  • Date: 4th August 2011
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST, MORRIS ALAGOA, SAYING: "As we can see now some spill points, crude oil is just bubbling out from the pipe now and with rains around now unless something urgent is done by Shell to address the situation, I fear that in the next two or three days the Taylor creek will be impacted seriously again by crude oil spill from Shell's pipeline." ROAD CONSTRUCTED BY OIL COMPANY (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST, MORRIS ALAGOA, SAYING (PHONETIC) "(End to) Contracts that have just been announced now which have resulted up to five spills now, I think Shell should take responsibility for not taking due process and the proper community relation approach to the issue." MORE OF SPILLED OIL
  • Embargoed: 19th August 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria, Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Crime
  • Reuters ID: LVA7EJYDPB4QPXSWPB9M631FYH77
  • Story Text: Royal Dutch Shell said on Wednesday (August 03) it had shut one of its Nigerian flowstations in the onshore Niger Delta after oil pipeline leaks.
    Local youths Okordia, Bayelsa state claimed responsibility for attacking the same pipelines because they say Shell stopped paying them for surveillance work. Shell said the cause of the leaks had not been confirmed.
    The youths in the community who were being employed by Shell to guard the pipelines which conveys crude oil to the Port-Harcourt refinery, reacted in anger by damaging the pipelines when information reached them that the contract had been terminated.
    The community leader, Igbudu Goodnews says the youths are displeased with the oil company's decision to cut them off.
    "We just got an information that the contract of surveillance has been terminated, so the boys became angry and they started the vandalisation," said community leader, Igbudu Goodnews.
    One man who used to be part of the surveillance team was on Wednesday cutting grass in the spill affected region and expressed his discontent.
    "I'm part of the surveillance but now no payment again so everything is hooked up now, so look at me I am rolling the machete to brush the farm, before I will now feed my people, which is unfair," said Freedom Nyekefamor.
    The pipelines both run through Bayelsa, the home state of President Goodluck Jonathan. Crude was still gushing out into one of the thousands of creeks which snake through the oil-rich wetlands region on Wednesday.
    It was not clear how much production would be lost from the shut down.
    Environmental activist, Morris Alagoa says if the situation is not brought under control, things might worsen.
    "As we can see now some spill points, crude oil is just bubbling out from the pipe now and with rains around now unless something urgent is done by Shell to address the situation, I fear that in the next two or three days the Taylor creek will be impacted seriously again by crude oil spill from Shell's pipeline," Alagoa said, adding that Shell should take responsibility for not taking following due processes in terminating the contract with the community.
    Protesting youths shut down a Shell oil manifold last month but production has since restarted. These incidents on their own do not point to a return to the previous levels of unrest in the Niger Delta, security analysts said.
    Oil sabotage attacks by militant gangs were a regular occurrence until an amnesty in 2009 halted major strikes. At their height the attacks cut out a third of the OPEC member's crude oil output, costing the government billions of dollars in lost revenue.

    ($1 = 152.550 Nigerian Nairas)
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