ARMED ATTACKS ON TWO NIGER DELTA OIL FACILITIES

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 001447 SIPDIS SIPDIS DOE FOR GPERSON, CGAY TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS, SRENENDER, DFIELDS COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS STATE PASS USTR FOR ASST USTR SLISER STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION FOR MARAD STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN AND MSTUCKART STATE PASS TDA FOR NCABOT STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2016 TAGS: EPET ENERG ASEC PTER NI SUBJECT: ARMED ATTACKS ON TWO NIGER DELTA OIL FACILITIES REF: A. LAGOS 1441 ¶B. LAGOS 1408 ¶C. LAGOS 1427 Classified By: Consul Alan Latimer for Reasons 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (C) Summary: In separate incidents, armed men attacked Agip's Tebidaba flow station in Bayelsa State, and a Total base camp for workers at Total's Obagi field in Rivers State. A Shell spokesperson indicated that reports of an attack on a facility in the Egbema council area of Rivers State were not true; the facility did, however, receive threats. Four expatriate employees of Agip (none American) seized by armed men on December 7 remain in captivity. Also being held hostage are one Nigerian employee of a Shell contractor and three Nigerian soldiers from the Joint Task Force who were seized during a December 14 attack on Shell's Nun River flow station. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Fidelis Anju, General Manager for Public Affairs for Agip confirmed that the company's Tebidaba flow station in Bayelsa State was attacked by armed men in the early hours of December 21. According to Anju, eighteen Nigerian workers (no expatriates, no American citizens) are being held in the flow station. The flow station has been shut down, curtailing production of 40,000 barrels per day of oil. Agip is having difficulty communicating with the flow station, because the company's Port Harcourt office remains closed through January 2. (Ref A) According to a security source, Government of Nigeria security forces engaged the attackers, who killed one military officer. The same source reported that the individual who led the attack is Joshua Makefa, a militant arrested in 2003 and detained until 2004. According to the source, the attackers want the company to employ area youth to provide security services at the facility. The company's spokesman could not confirm the information from the security source. ¶3. (C) According to Alhaji Suleiman Gimba, Assistant to Total's General Manager for Public Affairs, armed men attacked a base camp for workers at the company's Obagi oil field in Rivers State at 3:30 AM on December 21. Three of the company's Nigerian security forces were killed in the attack. When the attack began, expatriate employees retreated to the facility's safe haven where they waited out the attack. Other Total personnel suffered some minor injuries, the spokesman said. The attackers took money and cell phones from the Nigerian workers. ¶4. (C) Olav Lijosne, Media and External Affairs Manager for Shell Production and Development Corporation said that reports of an attack on the company's facility in the Ogba/Egbema council area of the Ndoni ethnic group in Rivers State were false. The facility received threats, but did not come under attack. ¶5. (C) Four expatriate hostages (none are American) seized December 7 from an Agip facility are still held captive, according to Anju. (Ref B) The company's Chief Executive Officer is seeking an appointment with President Obasanjo to protest the lack of progress in obtaining freedom for the captives. Four Nigerian employees of Shell, seized December 14 at Shell's Nun River facility, remain hostages. (Ref C) The local community has disavowed the hostage-taking. BROWNE