Militants issue warning to companies in the oil rich region

The Niger Delta is in store for a ‘month of mayhem’ according to the main militant group operating in the area, which this week claimed responsibility for the abduction of four US oil workers.

In a statement given to Reuters, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it is increasing its activity in May as it presses for more autonomy in the oil-producing region.

The statement read, “Groups are responding to a call we made to unleash mayhem in the delta. We will pause temporarily in about one month's time.”

The four US oil workers were kidnapped on Wednesday when militants stormed a barge belonging to the energy company Chevron.

The company said, “The Global Cheyenne, a construction barge working in the Okan field, was attacked by unknown armed persons in speed boats.

“Four expatriate American hostages were taken from the vessel and some government security forces suffered injuries during the attack.”

It was the tenth attack on oil facilities in the region in nine days and the continuing instability has cut Nigeria’s oil output by a quarter. About 100 foreign workers have been kidnapped in the area this year.

The Guardian’s Chris McGreal has been investigating the effects of MEND’s campaign in the delta in recent months. General ‘I Am’, a commander leading a faction of the militant group, told McGreal that in some areas MEND has complete control over towns and villages.

The General said, “This is our territory. The soldiers dare not come here now. They came and we defeated them. The oil companies and government have had many years to treat us right. They have never done it. Now we are making them think.”

The Niger Delta provides around 90% of the country’s earnings from exports but the local people argue that little if any of that money is pumped back into the region’s infrastructure.

Read more about the oil dispute in the Delta here.

Health and Skills for Africa (HASFA) is an organisation that works extensively in the troubled region and aims to encourage the younger generation to tackle problems with new skills rather than violence. Their ‘Campaign in peace’ programme aims to help members of gangs reintegrate with peaceful society.

Read more about Health and Skills for Africa here.