ARRESTS SPARK RENEWED UNREST IN DELTA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001789

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2015
TAGS: PGOV EPET ASEC NI DELTAVIOLENCE
SUBJECT: ARRESTS SPARK RENEWED UNREST IN DELTA

REF: LAGOS 1463

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Thomas Furey for reasons 1.4 (B
& D)

SUMMARY
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1. (C) Simmering tensions in the Niger Delta took a dramatic
upturn with the arrest of Ijaw militia leader Asari Dukubo
late on September 20. With passions already enflamed by the
arrest in London last week of Bayelsa Governor
Alamieyeseigha, reportedly a major financier to Ijaw
militias, Asari's arrest was met with sporadic gunfire and a
Wednesday morning standoff between police and Asari's Niger
Delta People's Volunteer Force (NGPVF) in Port Harcourt. The
standoff continues and one hour after the "24-hour ultimatum"
expired another gun battle erupted. The arrest of Dokubo
Asari at this time could be a critical miscalculation on the
part of the GON in its efforts to restore calm to the Niger
Delta region. End summary.

RIVERS STATE UNREST
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2. (U) Tensions in the Niger Delta mounted following the
detention of Asari on September 20. Sporadic gunfire was
reported after word of Asari's arrest Tuesday evening. This
morning opened to renewed gunfire and a standoff in the
Garrison Junction area of Port Harcourt between police and
members of Asari's NDPVF, reportedly armed with anything from
machetes to dynamite and rocket propelled grenades. By early
afternoon a strong police and military presence was visible
in the area, but according to residents, the standoff
continues. Some sources report that at least two
"explosions" occurred late on the 20th or early on the 21st
in the Port Harcourt area.


3. (U) Elsewhere in Rivers State, protestors took to the
streets in Asari's hometown of Buguma, a small community
outside of Port Harcourt. Civil society groups reported an
estimated 300 youths gathered peacefully, with no reported
injuries. Civil leaders scheduled a meeting with the youth
leaders at 1400, the NDPVF ultimatum's deadline for the
release of Asari, in an attempt to headoff any escalation to
violence.


4. (C) Governor Odili announced that he will intervene and
seek Asari's release. Another prominent Ijaw leader, Chief
Sara Igbe, pleaded for calm on state radio and assured the
youths that Asari would be released today. However, in a
phone call to PolCouns, he expressed anxiety and said that
the "volatile" situation could worsen without Asari's
release. An anxious calm has descended on the state since
these assurances, as people await word on the Ijaw leader's
freedom. At 1500, Mission received word that Asari had been
freed, but sources in the security services and Asari's own
lieutenants assert that he remains in detention. According
to residents of Port Harcourt, many shops and schools are
expected to remain closed tomorrow as a precaution.


5. (U) So far there have been no reports of involvement in
today's protests by the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC),another
Delta militia group which kicked off the current round of
threats directed at British interests in response to the
arrest of Governor Alamieyeseigha in London last week.
However, militia groups from throughout the region have
reportedly converged on Port Harcourt, with sightings of
militants from Warri and other areas in the city.

ENERGY SECTOR UPDATE
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6. (C) Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC),Nigeria's
largest oil producer, is the only major oil company
headquarted in Port Harcourt. Public Affairs General Manger
Don Boham told us Shell has released its non-essential staff
to go home early; approximately 4000 employees and
contractors, about 95 percent of whom are Nigerian, work at
the SPDC headquarters. Operational personnel working on rigs
and flowstations are being held indoors on location. Boham
reports the incidents in Port Harcourt have not affected
Shell operations. The major U.S.-based oil companies are
headquartered in Lagos, and have only small offices in Port
Harcourt. In line with mission advice, they have gone
largely into a lock-down status, in particular with reference
to expatriate personnel. Chevron General Manager for Asset
Management Chuck Taylor advised us their small Chevron office
in Port Harcourt is closed, and all personnel are staying in
their quarters. The Chevron Security Operations Manager has
issued a security advisory, in which it suspended all
business travel to Port Harcourt, and strongly advised
employees in Port Harcourt to exercise caution when going
out. They will make a decision late today whether to open
their Port Harcourt office tomorrow. ExxonMobil Managing
Director John Chaplin told us they have implemented travel
restrictions to and within Port Harcourt. They have an
unspecified number of people on site at the nearby Onne Free
Port. They will keep them at this location until it is safe
to remove them. ConocoPhillips Managing Director Todd
Creeger is also keeping personnel in Port Harcourt indoors.
He reports the Italian School, a major school for the
expatriate community in Port Harcourt, has been closed.

PRESS REPORT
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7. (U) All the major Lagos-based dailies today reported
continued protests in the Delta region over the reported
arrest of the Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha
in London. The Lagos-based daily business and financial
publication Business Day exclusively reported the kidnapping
of two foreign nationals believed to be oil workers in the
region. Mission has not been able to confirm this report.
The dailies also reported that the police in Port Harcourt
have arrested Asari in connection to the threat of violence
by Ijaw youths. He was reported flown to Abuja where some
reports said he might face charges of sedition. According to
the reports, the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force has
responded by giving the Nigerian Government a 24 hour
ultimatum to release their leader failing which they will
attack foreign nationals and disrupt oil exploration
activities in the Delta region.

ACS REPORT
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8. (U) Consulate Lagos released a warden message urging all
AmCits to limit travel to and within the Delta region and to
avoid crowds and public places. There are approximately 500
AmCits registered in Port Harcourt.

COMMENT
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9. (C) Comment: Tensions in the Delta region have been
building over the past year. The militias, including the
NDPVF and IYC, have been lying in wait since the cease fire
last December, and a dustup was bound to happen sooner or
later. The arrest of Asari may have pushed the region to a
critical point. Asari, no friend of the Bayelsa Governor, is
influential among a different segment of the Ijaw ethnic
group and has the reputation among many in the region as a
modern-day "Robin Hood." Inciting this group, in addition to
the Bayelsa faction, could turn out to be a critical
miscalculation rather than a part of the GON's efforts to
restore calm to the Niger Delta region. End comment.


10. (U) This is a joint Lagos-Abuja cable.
CAMPBELL