NIGERIA: CRIME A WAY OF LIFE IN THE NIGER DELTA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000508 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - HANDLE ACCORDINGLY SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA STATE PASS NSC FOR BOBBY PITTMAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/30/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL EPET PTER NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: CRIME A WAY OF LIFE IN THE NIGER DELTA REF: LAGOS 323 Classified By: Consul General Donna Blair, Reasons 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (C) Summary: Simon Amadoubogha, an environmental activist and lawyer based in Port Harcourt and Yenegoa, told PolOffs on November 18 in Lagos that crime has become a way of life in the Niger Delta as more and more people engage in illegal bunkering or low-risk hostage taking. A boat to transport stolen oil, which can be fitted with tanks or drums, costs only 300-400,000 Naira (roughly USD 2,700); financing for a boat can be obtained from commercial banks. Illegal bunkerers have their own pumping stations, tank farms and simplified refineries. Stolen oil is condensate, sold as far away as Onitsha in Anambra State as fuel for generators and to filling stations, which mix it with more refined gasoline. The military Joint Task Force (JTF) only stops boats that refuse to "settle," i.e. pay off the JTF; there is no incentive for the JTF to resolve the conflict. Hostage taking, especially of small children, is low risk and the police take no action. Governor Rotimi Amaechi (Peoples' Democratic Party) of Rivers State is attacking only the camps controlled by Ateke Tom, not those of his rivals. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Environmental activist Simon Amadoubogha, from Community Defense Law Foundation and an attorney with the Dougam Law Firm which specializes in environmental law, described illegal bunkering in the Niger Delta as an economic activity which has become a way of life for many people in the Niger Delta. Amadoubogha claims that it costs only 300-400,000 Naira (roughly USD 2700) to buy a boat suitable for transporting stolen oil in specially made tanks or drums. Amadoubogha said he knew of cases where individuals took out bank loans to finance the purchase or charter of a boat for the purpose of transporting stolen oil. He said further that the illegal bunkerers have their own pumping stations, tank farms and simplified refineries. ¶3. (C) According to Amadoubogha, most stolen crude oil is "condensate," (Note: Condensate is produced by boiling crude oil and skimming off the top layer; this primitive refining is wasteful and disposal of the sludge in the waterways is a major source of pollution. End Note.),which is sold either as fuel for generators or to filling stations which mix it with gasoline. Amadoubogha says that much of the stolen oil is sold for these purposes within Nigeria itself, sometimes traveling by boat along the Niger River as far as Onitsha in Anambra State. Amadoubogha said that the JTF only stops those boats carrying stolen oil for which they have not been "settled," an allegation PolOffs have heard repeatedly. (See Reftel) He argued that as a result of these payments, illegal bunkering is very lucrative for the JTF. Thus although the JTF undertakes operations to interdict illegal bunkering now and again, these are only to justify its existence, Amadoubogha claimed; the JTF has no real interest in ending the conflict from which it and others profit enormously. Hostage Taking Low Risk; No Police Intervention -------------- -- ¶4. (C) Amadoubogha also claimed that hostage taking was becoming more common because it is very low risk. It did not require many resources or much courage to snatch a child on the way home from school, for example, and then demand a ransom payment, Amadoubogha said. Ransoms could be as little as 50,000 Naira (USD 425),a huge burden for a poor family, but sufficient incentive for a criminal. Amadoubogha claimed that after the payment of the ransom the police take no action, so kidnappers operate with impunity. Amaechi Pursuing Ateke Tom -------------- ¶5. (C) Amadoubogha claimed that the higher incidence of violence in Rivers State resulted from the fact that there are several militant camps, all of which are used for political purposes. Amadoubogha said that Governor Rotimi LAGOS 00000508 002 OF 002 Amaechi was attacking only the camp of one militant, Ateke Tom, but not that of his rivals. Amadoubogha therefore dismisses the claims made by the Rivers State government and JTF that Amaechi's offensive against the militants is effective. Amadoubogha believes the violence will continue in Rivers State indefinitely as long as the various camps have political godfathers. In Delta and Bayelsa states, in contrast, the governors had managed to buy a degree of peace by paying off the leaders of the major camps, Amadoubogha said. ¶6. (C) Comment: Amadoubogha adds nothing new to past discussions of the complicity of many JTF members in illegal bunkering activities in the Delta. However, his pessimistic view of the effectiveness of the national police at responding to security issues such as kidnapping adds to the continued worrisome environment in the Niger Delta. End Comment. ¶7. (U) This cable has been cleared by Embassy Abuja. BLAIR