By Perez Brisibe
UGHELLI—Suspected militants in the Niger Delta have continued their onslaught on oil installations with the blowing up of Chevron Valve Platform in Abiteye, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State.
The incident, it was gathered, occurred at 10:40p.m., on Wednesday.
Though the company’s Public Affairs Manager, Deji Haastrup, could not be reached for comments on the incident, an official of the Department of State Services, DSS, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident, adding that the platform was totally destroyed with dynamite.
The security source further hinted that the platform is a major connecting point where all other platforms are linked and also serves as a fulcrum to Chevron BOP and the Chevron Tank farm thereby halting all operations of the company in the region.
Meanwhile, claiming responsibility for the incident, Niger Delta Avengers, a militant group in the region, in a statement, attributed the incident to the effort of its strike Team 6, adding that the attack on the facility was in line with its promise to the Nigerian government to cripple the economy.
The group, which had earlier claimed responsibility for attacking the Forcados 48-inch Export Pipeline, also threatened to attack oil facilities in Lagos and Abuja, the nation’s capital.
“We want to pass this message to all international oil companies operating in the Niger Delta that the Nigerian military can’t protect their facilities. They should talk to the Federal Government to meet our demands else more mishaps will befall their installations.
“Until our demands are met, no repair works should be done at the blast site,” the group added.
