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….. as Agip suffers another pipelines’ attacks
No fewer than 75 riverside communities in Delta State have been ravaged by spills occasioned by the continued bombings of oil and gas pipelines by rampaging Niger Delta State Avengers (NDA).
Pointblanknews.com investigation has revealed the locals are not happy by the unwholesome activities of the militants who have vowed to cripple the nation’s economy.
Checks show that although oil and gas facilities in about 20 locations were destroyed in the renewed bombings, the attendant spills have spread to other communities and adversely devastated them.
An Ijaw community youth leader, Tonye Tuye, condemned in strong terms the nefarious activities, describing them as economic saboteurs.
He stated succinctly that ‘’this whole recalcitrant behavior only started when Tompolo was declared wanted’’, and queried, ‘’when they were getting the money what did they do with it? Now that the money has stopped, they are destroying everything.’’
The youth activist equally condemned the continued militarization of the Niger Delta region, saying that the region has been turned into a battle ground as a result of confrontation between the military and militants.
Besides, he expressed worries over the bastardization of the region by pipeline vandalism, the current nefarious activities of the rampaging militants and the exploration and exploitative activities of the multinational oil companies.
‘’It will shock the public to know that well over 75 riverside communities are adversely affected by the unabated bombings by militants, illegal bunkering and oil theft as well as the failure of the multinational oil firms to adopt environmental best practices.’’
Meanwhile, suspected militants in the wee hours of Friday destroyed the Tebidaba-Brass Nigeria Agip Oil Company, NAOC pipeline, the Goulubokiri Manifold and Lasukugbene pipeline.
Bayelsa State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, Desmond Agu, while confirming the vandalism, said officers of the Command on surveillance engaged the vandals in a gun duel.
“Reports from the swamp area indicate that last night (early hours of this morning) a gang of heavily armed youths with two double 200hp speedboats used explosives to blast three different points on the Tebidaba-Brass NAOC pipeline’’, he said tersely.