Soldiers searched houses and fired in the air on Friday as the Nigerian military launched a crackdown on suspected militants in the country’s restive, petroleum-rich south, where more than a dozen foreign oil workers have been kidnapped.
President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered the clampdown on Tuesday amid stepped-up violence in Africa’s oil giant and military officials said it began on Friday.
Soldiers could be seen entering houses in the main Niger Delta city of Port Harcourt, detaining at least five people. The troops fired in the air, sending men and women screaming through the streets. Gunfire sounded for at least an hour.
”This is the beginning of something bigger to drive all the bandits from the state,” said Major Sagir Musa, a military spokesperson. ”It will continue. It is ongoing.”
Port Harcourt has been rocked by a series of kidnappings that has seen 15 foreigners seized in the streets or from nightclubs over the past two weeks. Nine have been released unharmed but six, including an American, remain unaccounted for.
Also on Friday, Port Harcourt’s main airport closed, cutting off a main entry and exit point to the city for oil-industry workers. Officials blamed a electrical fire on Thursday for the closure.
Militant attacks have cut Nigeria’s daily oil production by nearly a quarter from its normal 2,6-million barrels. The country is Africa’s biggest oil exporter and the fifth-largest supplier of crude to the United States.
Many Nigerians in the region say the violence stems from popular discontent over the portion of Nigeria’s oil earnings that returns to their areas.
The Abuja-based federal government apportions the earnings from Nigeria’s oil industry. Despite the great riches, most of the Niger Delta is mired in extreme poverty, and most residents live without electricity, health care or schools. Many Nigerians accuse their leaders of stealing much of the oil funds. Nigeria is routinely ranked among the world’s most-corrupt nations. — Sapa-AP