OIL WORKER HOSTAGE UPDATE SITREP #5

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000054 SIPDIS STATE PASS DOE FOR DAS JBRODMAN AND CGAY TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS AND SRENENDER COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION FOR MARAD STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN AND MSTUCKART STATE PASS TDA FOR NCABOT STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER STATE PASS USTR FOR ASST USTR SLISER STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ STATE FOR DS/IP/AF, AF/EX, DS/IP/OPO, DS/ICI/PII, DS/DSS/ITA E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2015 TAGS: EPET PGOV ASEC PTER KHLS PINR ETRD CASC NI SUBJECT: OIL WORKER HOSTAGE UPDATE SITREP #5 REF: A. ABUJA 76 ¶B. LAGOS 48 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Acting Consul General William H. Howe for Reasons 1.4 (D & E) -------------- Additional Attacks Confirmed -------------- ¶1. (C) Post confirmed additional attacks against Shell and AGIP perpetrated since January 11. A military intelligence source confirmed an attack against Shell's Ogbotobo flow station on January 16 with an unconfirmed number of casualties. Agip also reported other attacks on January 11, one against a Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) offshore supply vessel, stationed in block OML 79, southwest of Shell's East Area field and near where the Liberty Service was attacked. The full number of known January 11 attacks now corresponds exactly to those listed in the first Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) correspondence. ¶2. (S) Military intelligence sources recently reported planned attacks on Shell and Exxon facilities. Militants have threatened Shell's Jones Creek, Chenomi Creek, and Forcados facilities on an undisclosed date. An Exxon Mobile facility (Qit) in Ibeno, Akwa Ibom state. Two groups, the Nigerian Ijaw Martyrs and the Ijaw Patriotic Front reportedly paid naira 50,000 (about $350) to area youths to participate in the planned attack. The Nigerian government is aware of the threat. ¶3. (U) RSO released the above information after DS clearance to relevant oil company security officials. An edited version of the statement was sent to CA/OCS for approval as a warden message. -------------- -------------- Oil Companies Respond with Increased Security Levels -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) In response to information provided by RSO, Exxon Mobil raised their security from Code Orange to Code Red at their Qit facility, which means that they are operating with minimal staff and the highest possible level of security. They remain on Code Orange elsewhere. ¶5. (SBU) Shell has elevated their threat level from company-wide to "group-wide" indicating that all seven Shell subsidiaries or affiliates are included. ¶6. (C) Chevron has evacuated some workers in the Delta creeks engaged in repair work and other non-essential tasks. The company is running through crisis response exercises and has curtailed some of its "more remote" activities. A Chevron security advisor said the company, despite having facilities in nearby areas of the Delta, feels Shell is the only target of the current upsurge in violence. He said, however, there will be significant ramifications for Chevron operations if an agreement to release the hostages is not secured by the GON. -------------- Hostage Update -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Following an interview with the hostages on January 16, Reuters correspondent Tom Ashby reported to the British High Commission (BHC) that the captors had the following five demands: release of Dokubo Asari; release of ex-Governor Alamieyeseigha; release of third Ijaw militant (Joshua Macaiva); $1.5 billion in reparations from Shell; and control of Niger Delta oil resources. He added that the GON had 48 hours to comply or else "responsibility for whatever happens (lies) with the Nigerian government." (Note. This may refer to an attack on another facility and not directly to the hostages. End note.) -------------- Negotiations to Continue -------------- ¶8. (C) In a conversation with Bayelsa Commissioner of Police Ringham on January 17, LegAtt learned the Bayelsa negotiator was Chief Barrister Dixon, who was talking with a man named "Kofowei" from the kidnappers. He said the kidnappers were running out of supplies for the hostages and had switched to a "sustain-and-feed" strategy for them. Shell and Tidex both said they had sent blood pressure medicine for AmCit Pat Landry to the Bayelsa Government in case they could give the medicine to the kidnappers. ¶9. (SBU) President Obasanjo met today with his executive leadership team to discuss this matter, and oil company MDs plan to meet on January 18 to discuss industry implications. HOWE