Nigerian separatist militants issued what they described as a final warning to international oil giants on Friday demanding they evacuate installations in the Niger Delta within two days or face armed attack.
”We will kill every iota of oil operations in the Niger Delta. We will destroy anything and everything. We will challenge our enemies in our territory and we shall feed them to the vultures,” said the statement from the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force (NDPVF).
The group, which on Thursday sent 120 armed guerrillas to seize an oil plant operated by US giant Chevron, warned that if its leader Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo Asari is not released from police custody within two days it will step up its action.
”In line with this, we herein order that all staff, property and operations in the Niger Delta be totally evacuated in the next 48 hours. Shell, Chevron, Mobil, Total and others should please take note. All of their installations will not be spared,” the statement said.
”We will come after everything, living and not living. Failure to comply will result in death, grave sabotage and every other thinkable vice. We have lost our patience and our resilience stands to be tested,” it added.
Asari was arrested on Tuesday in the oil city of Port Harcourt and has been remanded in police custody in the capital Abuja while the government prepares treason charges against him.
The Niger Delta is home to Africa’s biggest oil industry, which exports 2,5-million barrels per day.
Oil firms have stepped up security precautions since Asari’s arrest and military units have been deployed to the streets of Port Harcourt and the waterways around the city. – AFP
