Troops that raided a village in the oil-rich Niger Delta said they recovered two surface-to-air missiles during a search for militants in the area. The attack in Bomadi area in Delta State was reportedly in retaliation for a rebel attack on a military cam
Troops that raided a village in the oil-rich Niger Delta said they recovered two surface-to-air missiles during a search for militants in the area. The attack in Bomadi area in Delta State was reportedly in retaliation for a rebel attack on a military camp recently. According to the Daily Champion of Lagos, the invasion by troops left 500 homeless and 600 locals missing.
Earlier this month, the leading Nigerian militant group threatened retaliation over a road accident in which a German construction truck crashed into a commuter bus, killing 12.
The Niger Delta area is a conflicted zone due to the presence of profit-taking multi-national oil companies in the midst of abject poverty and unemployment.
Oil flow stations have especially contributed to the contamination of groundwater, and the destruction of plant and wildlife. A new report from the Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development gave the number of recorded oil spills between 2006 and 2008 as 1,260.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Committee on Oil and Gas Sector Reform Implementation this week submitted to President Umaru Yar’Adua a draft Petroleum Industry Bill seeking to repeal all existing laws on oil and gas.
The presidential panel advised that the state oil company be run as an “independent limited liability company,” to operate as a commercial organization and make a profit.
Special to the NNPA from GIN
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