Unrepentant Niger Delta militant group, Niger Delta Avengers has
attacked a crude oil trunkline belonging to the Shell Petroleum
Development Company of Nigeria in Batan, Warri South-West Local
Government Area of Delta State with massive oil spill polluting the
environment, according to the Punch.
The criminal incident occurred at the wee hours of 12:05am on Monday
without any interference by military operatives safeguarding the region.
According to reports, the fresh attack happened around Camp 3, few
kilometres away from the spot where the militants had recently also
attacked oil installations early this month.
It took soldiers over four hours before finally confirming the attack
due to the remote area of the explosion.
Findings revealed that a technical team from Pipelines and Product
Marketing Company drafted to the spot could not curtail the spill as of
4.32pm, as crude was said to still be gushing out of the attacked
pipeline.
Sources from the community, who confirmed the attack to a correspondent,
said soldiers had a difficult time locating the attacked pipeline
because of it's remoteness in the swamp of Batan.
The sources said the militants shot sporadically for some minutes before
detonating devices to blow up the pipeline.
A top military officer confirmed the attack, saying his men had a hard time identifying the spot as it
was too remote for military personnel to easily access.
The Chairman of Batan Community, Dickson Ogugu, when contacted,
confirmed the incident and appealed to the militants to halt their
hostility on oil installations in the region especially within the Batan
axis.
The militants in a press statement over the weekend threatened the
Nigerian government about a massive explosion and it appears they have
lived up to the threat with the magnitude of this attack.
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