Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — A new militant group, known as Bayan-Men, has warned that it will carry out more attacks on oil and gas facilities operated by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC, in Omoku, ONELGA, Rivers State, if the company fails to retrace its steps, by directly engaging host communities in the area.
The group, who claimed responsibility for the two explosions on Agip facilities in Omoku in the last few days, said the action was as a result of the injustice against the Omoku people by the company. The facilities attacked by the group are an oil well, Obiavu-5, and the Onosi-Ogu manifold in Obiavu and Obosi communities respectively
Leader of the militant group, General Agaba, said they want Agip to engage the people on how to commence dealing directly with individual host communities and not through a single individual or proxy.
Agaba, in a statement sighted by our correspondent, said that their action was because the Italian multinational has refused to allow the people benefit from their operation in the area, adding that the firm was neck deep in divide and rule tactics.
Th statement read in parts: “The only thing we want Agip to do, is to deal directly with the 27 communities of Omoku, according to the Federal Government resolution.
“We don’t want Agip to be negotiating with anybody. They should deal with the communities. If they continue like this, what we have done now is small to what we will do if they continue.
“We are not criminals, we are intellectuals. The fact is that when a man is pushed to the wall, he bounces back with double force. We are giving Agip another seven days to open windows of negotiation with the 27 communities of Omoku clan.
“This meeting will involve the Chiefs of these communities, the CDC (Community Development Committee) chairmen of the Communities and the Youths Presidents of the27 communities.
“That is how we want it. We don’t want it in anybody’s parlour, we want it at the Civic Centre where everybody will come.
“The federal government had advised them (Agip) to deal with the different communities independently. Why are the security agencies taking side with the company? They come, take money and subvert justice.
“What we want is justice. You can’t come to my community and take the land and leave me hungry. We have heard that Agip has sent military to put out the fire but they have not been able to do that. It is now or never.”
Meanwhile, an environmentalist and stakeholder in the area, Pastor Evaristus Nicholas, has condemned in strongest term the blowing up of oil facilities in Omoku by the self acclaimed militant group, saying the action was unheard of in ONELGA.
Nicholas called on Agip to arrest the development by doing the right thing while also charging the Italian management of NAOC to call their Nigerian managers to order/ He accused the later of engaging in divide and rule for their personal gains in ONELGA, including in Egbeama, his country home.
He said: “Blowing up oil facilities is not a way to go, it’s an act of criminality and should be discontinued. A stroke of pen is mightier than a barrel of gun. I condemned the action as an environmentalist. We are not hurting Italy but the environment of ONELGA. The perpetrators should desist from it
“However, Agip should listen to them and meet their demands, but the boys should use a more legitimate means.
“The PIA has given rights to host communities to protect oil facilities in their domain, therefore IOCs should allow the host communities protect their facilities and not giving such contracts to people outside the communities.
“I think Agip has good intentions but Nigerians managing the company are the problem, because they bring this confusion for their own personal profits. The company should call their Nigerian managment staff to order.
“I think the company too is culpable because if their Nigerian managment staff are not manging the company properly, they should be sacked and replaced with better managers.
“ONELGA is the mainstay of agip and it is not known for blowing up pipelines. Blowing up oil piples is not our pattern, this is the first time we are recording it in ONELGA. Agip should nib it in the bud.”
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