NIGERIA: HOSTAGE CRISIS CONTINUES, MILITARY GETS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000807

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2013
TAGS: CASC ASEC EPET ENRG ECON PINS PGOV NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: HOSTAGE CRISIS CONTINUES, MILITARY GETS
INVOLVED

REF: A. JETER-LEDESMA MAY 1 TELCON

B. ABUJA 806

C. ABUJA 768


Classified by Ambassador Howard F. Jeter for reason
1.5 (d).


Summary
--------------

1. (C) Transocean Sedco Forex officials confirm that striking
oil workers still hold 273 hostages--including 17 U.S.
citizens and 79 other expatriates--on four rigs off Port
Harcourt. The company's Managing Director Ian Clark says the
platforms have been re-supplied with sufficient quantities of
food and water, but admits there have been threats of
physical violence directed at the hostages. However, he
states that the hostages continue to be in good health and do
not appear to be in immediate danger. Nigerian naval vessels
have anchored in the vicinity of the rigs--the Navy's purpose
is to deliver the court injunction requiring that the
strikers depart. Sources indicate that the military has no
imminent plans to use force to deliver the injunction.
Meanwhile, negotiations between the workers and company
officials, mediated by NUPENG, are stalled. In a separate
incident, the Nigerian Navy freed workers on a Shell rig
taken over by Ijaw youths. There were no reported injuries
and the youths have been taken into custody. End Summary.


Supplies Replenished, Threats of Violence Confirmed
-------------- --------------

2. (U) Clark told Econoff on May 1 that food and water
supplies had been running low, but that additional supplies
were offloaded by crane from a supply vessel. None of the
supply vessel personnel boarded the rig. He also explained
that during the episode, tempers had flared intermittently on
the rig and some irate workers had indeed threatened the
hostages with bodily harm; however, he said again that he
felt the hostages were in no immediate danger. Clark told the
Ambassador that these threats were not reoccurring and had
been particularly directed at two rig managers in an effort
to put pressure on Transocean Sedco Forex management to give
in.



3. (U) Clark said the 25 or so striking oil workers on each
rig have been able to prevent the hostages from leaving by
blocking the helipads. There are lifeboats sufficient to
ferry everyone off the rigs, but it would be difficult to
safely use them unless everyone agreed to leave the rigs.
Striking workers could easily prevent access to the boats or
make using them a dangerous proposition. Although the
striking workers are outnumbered, the hostages would also be
putting themselves in danger by attempting to subdue their
captors, Clark added. He emphasized the need for a peaceful
settlement.



4. (C) Clark explained that the letter he had written the
Rivers State Police Commissioner was factual but
intentionally alarmist in tone to get the immediate attention
of the police. (Note: A copy of the letter was faxed April 30
to AF/W. Ref B, Paragraph 2 also mentions the letter. End
Note)


Nigerian Military Gets Involved
--------------

5. (C) The President's Special Advisor on Foreign Affairs
Ad'obe Obe told the Ambassador May 1 that Obasanjo viewed the
crisis seriously and had convened an April 30 security
meeting with top civilian and military advisors to look for
solutions. He said that they had agreed to send naval vessels
to the area in order to deliver the Federal High Court
injunction requiring an end to the wildcat strike. Obe
emphasized that there were no plans to use force to deliver
the injunctions or remove the striking oil workers. A GON
military source confirmed that naval vessels are now anchored
in the vicinity of the platforms. The source indicates that
there is no specific timeline for delivery of the injunction
and that there are no plans to use force. (Note: These
vessels may be the two buoy tenders the USG donated to the
GON earlier this year. These vessels were already being
deployed in that general area to discourage a local community
from following through on plans to sabotage a separate Shell
rig. Post is attempting to confirm whether the buoy tenders
are the vessels anchored near the rigs. End Note.)



6. (C) General Sylvester, Chief of Staff and second in
command at EUCOM, spoke with Nigerian Chief of Defense
Admiral Oghohi to express his concern with the situation and
request that force not be used to solve it. Oghohi said there
were no imminent plans to carry out any military mission (Ref
A).


Negotiations Stalled
--------------

7. (U) NUPENG officials continue to disavow the strike but
are serving as intermediaries for negotiations. Clark and
other Transocean Sedco Forex officials report that
negotiations in Lagos on May 30 with NUPENG officials had
resulted in agreement that dismissal of the five workers who
instigated the situation was justified and would stick.
However, NUPENG is balking at the company's demand that all
workers involved in the hostage-taking also be dismissed.
Company officials say negotiations will resume May 2.
Meanwhile, Clark reports that National Labour Congress
President Oshiomole is working behind the scenes to encourage
a negotiated solution. The Ambassador was in touch with
Oshiomole yesterday and he promised that he would engage on
the issue, including with top NUPENG executives. Post plans
to follow up with Oshiomole on May 2.



8. (C) Clark said NUPENG might be willing to take a more
active role in resolving the situation if pressured from the
GON. In particular, he suggested a forceful letter from
Minister of Labor and Productivity Musa Gwadabe to the NUPENG
leadership might produce the necessary fillip. The Ambassador
and the ranking British High Commission official plan to see
the Minister to recommend this course of action.


A Busy Week in the Delta
--------------

9. (U) Local press reported May 1 the peaceful end to a
hostage-taking on a Chevron rig off the Bayelsa State coast.
According to the press report, Chevron's off-shore platform
was taken over earlier this week by Ijaw youths who held
hostage the local and expatriate Chevron staff working on the
platform until the Navy yesterday rescued the staff and
arrested the youth. The press report claimed the youth took
over the platform because they were owed money by Chevron.
The report also claimed that the takeover and subsequent shut
down of two additional nearby platforms led to the loss of
100,000 barrels of crude oil production per day.



10. (SBU) Chevron-Texaco General Manager for Public and
Governmental Relations Sola Omole confirmed the basic details
of this account. He noted that the platform takeover was
brief and ended peacefully. Omole claims the Ijaw youth were
not armed and were "home guards" paid by Chevron who for
unexplained reasons had not received their remuneration for
the past three months. (Comment: Chevron-Texaco, like other
companies, often pays idle youth to serve as "home guards"
protecting the company's facilities in the area. This is
little more than payoff to youths who threaten oil company
installations with sabotage. End Comment.) Omole denied that
any significant oil production was lost as the result of this
take-over, noting that only 27,000 barrels per day is
produced from this area. Omole confirmed that the Navy
effected the rescue and had taken the Ijaw youths into
custody.
JETER