A militant group, the Niger Delta Liberation Movement, also known as Movement, claimed responsibility for bursting pipelines near the Olero-Dibi-Abiteye Fields/Flow stations around 2am on Friday.
The damage was described as “the launch of ‘Operation Chevron Dragnet” in a press statement signed by the militant group Secretary Mr. Emmanuel Tagbanaraewumi and made available to journalists in Warri on Friday.
The statement partly reads, “Movement begins ‘Chevron Dragnet’: bursts pipelines along Olero-Dibi-Abiteye Fields in Delta.
“The blast pipelines, which are six inches, eight inches, and 10 inches in diameter, transport various petroleum products, such as natural gas and crude.
“These multiple blasts are the start of the operations code-named Chevron Dragnet.
“We promise a shocker as we vow to continue to hit facilities used for crude oil exploration activities in the whole of Warri areas, till Chevron does the needful as this is just the beginning of operation Chevron Dragnet.”
The group said that various host communities and organisations of the Itsekiri ethnicity had asked Chevron Nigeria Limited to make its job quota available in the company’s ongoing recruitment plan, but to no effect.
It added, “We had earlier made demands for the unconditional conversion of VTP5/OTP2 and VTP6, amongst others, and these demands were not attended to.
“The Movement is bringing to the notice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, and Chevron in particular that we are in support of these calls and therefore announce the launch of an operation, Chevron Dragnet.
“The operation Chevron Dragnet has become unavoidable because Chevron has refused to listen to her host communities and organisations from the Itsekiri extraction, calling for the implementation of Local Content Law and allocating to her the rightful quarter of the ongoing Chevron Nigeria Limited recruitment by a consulting firm known as Dragnet.
“We will not provide any ultimatum or timeline for the operations, as was evident in our previous press statements.
“As long as Chevron decides to keep mute and play unholy politics with the request from the host communities and organisations of the Itsekiri nation, we vow to support and back these calls with the language Chevron will understand.”
