Entertainment Forum

NF Reporter · 01-19-2008, 01:50 PM

AP - LAGOS, Nigeria — Militants in Nigeria's restive oil region on Saturday invited actor and peace activist George Clooney to visit the area and asked for U.N. intervention in their conflict.

Full Story...

bizwiz · 01-22-2008, 06:34 AM

That's a great honor for George Clooney to be asked to mediate a cease fire for a peaceful resolution to their conflict. I do hope George accepts this honor give to him.

waltky · 03-28-2008, 06:36 PM

Fired for investigating oil corruption...

Outrage Over Ouster of Nigeria's 'Eliot Ness'
March 28, 2008 - Nuhu Ribadu's Expected Removal Comes in the Midst of His Investigation of Nigeria's Ex-Vice President and Many of the Nation's Governors

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Nigeria's top anti-corruption crusader who earned the nickname "Eliot Ness" for his investigations of powerful government officials is about to lose his job, according to government sources. Nuhu Ribadu's removal comes in the middle of his ongoing investigation of the former Nigerian vice president and many of the nation's governors.

To the outrage of watchdog groups, newly-elected Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua is expected to soon name a replacement for Ribadu as head of the elite Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The action would follow an earlier decision by the president to temporarily remove Ribadu from the EFCC by sending him on a yearlong training program.

"The president never wanted to retain Ribadu," Osita Ogbu of Transparency International Nigeria told the Blotter on ABCNews.com. Ogbu said the move to replace Ribadu calls into question President Yar'Adua's pledge to fight corruption. "We know that he has said that he intends to do that, but he is not showing that he is committed to doing that."

The United Nations has also expressed concerns about Ribadu's removal from the EFCC, saying it could jeopardize a planned $35 million U.N. anti-corruption project for Nigeria. Antonio Maria Costa, head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, wrote a letter earlier this year to President Yar'Adua noting that Ribadu's ouster "could be very detrimental to maintaining the momentum of ongoing anti-corruption investigations."

More ABC News: Outrage Over Ouster of Nigeria's 'Eliot Ness'

waltky · 04-26-2008, 06:56 PM

Now they want Jimmy Carter...

Nigerian Rebels Call on Carter to Mediate
April 24, 2008 - MEND Asks Former President For Help

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Fresh off his controversial meetings with Hamas, former President Jimmy Carter appears to be in hot demand among rebel groups around the world. The Nigerian rebel group Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) solicited his help in mediating between it and the Nigerian government in a letter addressed to President Bush sent out earlier this week by the group's spokesman, Jomo Gbomo.

"Mr. Carter is not in denial as the rest of you who brand freedom fighters as terrorists, forgetting their integral role in any substantial peace process just as he has demonstrated in his meeting with Hamas," said Gbomo. MEND, which claims it is fighting for a more just distribution of the country's billions of dollars of oil revenue, has attacked two pipelines in the past week. The group is responsible for kidnapping more than 100 foreign oil workers last year, and has repeatedly attacked oil facilities in the Niger Delta region since late 2005.

Gbomo also claimed responsibility for an attack on a pipeline Monday in the letter. The attack was prompted by "continuous injustice" in the Niger Delta, according to the letter, which said the "root issues" in the Delta have not been addressed by the "illegal and insincere government." "The ripple effect of this attack will touch your economy and people one way or the other and hope we now have your attention," the letter said.

More ABC News: Nigerian Rebels Call on Carter to Mediate

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Oil trouble in Nigeria: Pipeline attacks, strike
April 25, 2008 -- Militant group said it blew up another oil pipeline, making four this week; White-collar workers at ExxonMobil, one of biggest producers in Nigeria, on strike; Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta want poor region to get more oil revenue; Crime high; gunmen steal crude for resale, rob banks, blow up oil infrastructure

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A main militant group behind a string of recent attacks in Nigeria's southern oil region said Friday it has sabotaged another pipeline -- the fourth in the past week -- as key producer ExxonMobil reported workers on strike. White-collar workers at ExxonMobil Corp. -- one of the largest producers in Nigeria, with an output of about 2 million barrels a day in crude -- have "commenced a safe and orderly shut-in of production" to push for more pay, the company said in a statement. It didn't specify how much production had been lost, and officials didn't immediately reply to queries.

Also Friday, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, said its fighters hit a pipeline late Thursday in southern Rivers State, bringing to four the number of pipelines the group claims it has blown up in the past week. The group said in a statement that the pipeline belongs to a Royal Dutch Shell PLC joint venture. A Shell spokesman had no immediate comment Friday.

MEND says it is fighting to force the government to give more oil industry revenue it controls to its region, which remains deeply poor despite four decades of oil production in the area. The militants have stepped up activities as one of the group's reputed leaders, Henry Okah, faces trial on terrorism and treason charges. The group emerged two years ago and quickly established itself as the region's most effective militant organization.

More Oil trouble in Nigeria: Pipeline attacks, strike - CNN.com

waltky · 05-06-2008, 07:55 PM

Granny says, "Send ol' Jimmy to Nigeria - see if he can lower the price of oil...

Nigerian Militants Say Carter Could End Attacks on Oil Companies
May 6, 2008 - Carter Center: Former President Would 'Seriously Consider' Mediating If Invited by Both Militants and Nigerian Gov.'t

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The attacks on U.S. and European oil facilities in Nigeria could end if former U.S. President Jimmy Carter mediates peace talks, the spokesman of a Nigerian militant group said today in an e-mail message to ABC News. "President Carter represents transparency, impartiality, humility and integrity; four key ingredients critical in the mediator recipe towards ensuring a genuine and enduring peace process for the region," said Jomo Gbomo of the Nigerian rebel group Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).

MEND, which claims it is fighting for a more just distribution of the country's billions of dollars of oil revenue, has attacked several pipelines since the start of this year. The group is responsible for kidnapping more than 100 foreign oil workers last year and has repeatedly attacked oil facilities in the Niger Delta region since late 2005. Carter would "seriously consider" mediating between Nigerian militants and the Nigerian federal government if he was invited by both parties, according to Carter Center Vice President John Stremlau, who was asked by Gbomo in an e-mail if Carter would help facilitate peace talks. "President Carter is a man of peace. He was involved in the Nigerian Delta in 1999 and knows how important it is to resolve this conflict," said Stremlau.

He said Gbomo's statement today, which implied that Carter has already accepted an invitation to mediate in the Niger Delta conflict, was "premature." "Carter would seriously consider undertaking a mission if he were formally invited by all relevant stakeholders in the Niger Delta conflict. In addition to MEND, this would include the federal government of Nigeria and others whose interests would have to be represented in such a negotiation," said Stremlau. But so far the invitation has come only from MEND. The group said it will call off all hostilities and hold a temporary cease-fire in honor of Carter should the Nigerian government accept Carter's initiative.

More ABC News: Nigerian Militants Say Carter Could End Attacks on Oil Companies

waltky · 06-20-2008, 04:31 AM

Forget Clooney - Time for some shock n' awe...

Militants Attack Nigeria Offshore Platform, Kidnap U.S. Sailor
June 19, 2008 - Armed militants on boats sailed 65 miles offshore to attack an oil platform in Nigeria on Thursday, forcing the oilfield to stop operation. The attackers also kidnapped a U.S. sailor.

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The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed responsibility for the attack on Royal Dutch Shell's Bonga oil platform, which produces 200,000 barrels per day.

After the daring raid, the fleeing militants attacked a U.S. supply vessel along the way, injuring two seamen and seizing the ship's captain. The unidentified hostage was released after several hours.

The attack caused oil prices to jump to $137 per barrel in Asian trading as the oilfield shutdown cut supply of the commodity from Africa's biggest crude producer.

Militants Attack Nigeria Offshore Platform, Kidnap U.S. Sailor | AHN | June 20, 2008

waltky · 06-22-2008, 08:19 PM

Should help ease oil prices - if the truce holds...

Rebels blamed for oil attacks announce truce
22 June `08 - Nigerian rebels say truce will begin midnight Tuesday; covers Niger Delta region; Rebels have bombed pipelines and kidnapped hundreds of foreign oil workers; They claim to be motivated by a desire to get more oil wealth for people in the region; On Thursday, the group took credit for attacking a Shell oil facility

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A Nigerian rebel movement blamed for an number of recent attacks on the African country's oil industry announced a unilateral truce Sunday after an appeal for negotiations by tribal leaders. "Effective 12 midnight on Tuesday, June 24, 2008, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta will be observing a unilateral cease-fire in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria until further notice," the rebels said in a statement attributed to Jomo Gbomo, their leader's nom de guerre.

"We are respecting an appeal by the Niger Delta elders to give peace and dialogue another chance." MEND has bombed pipelines and kidnapped hundreds of foreign oil workers, typically releasing them unharmed, sometimes after receiving a ransom payment. The rebels hope to secure a greater share of oil wealth for people in the Niger Delta, where more than 70 percent of the population lives on less than $1 a day.

Nigeria is the fourth-largest supplier of oil to the United States, and analysts say that strife there is among several factors that have helped fuel a year-long spike in crude oil prices. The Nigerian government has proposed a peace summit to find a solution to the region's problems, but an immediate resolution is not apparent. Last Thursday, oil production was shut down at an offshore Nigerian facility after an armed attack by a powerful militant group from the Delta region, Shell said.

More Rebels blamed for oil attacks announce truce - CNN.com

waltky · 07-17-2008, 12:48 AM

Where's good ol' George when ya need him?

Thousands flee Nigerian militants
Wednesday, 16 July 2008 - Thousands of Nigerians have fled the Niger Delta oil town of Bonny after militants threatened to behead people who are not originally from the area.

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The unknown group attacked soldiers in the town two weeks ago, killing nine people including a pregnant woman. According to a newspaper article widely circulated by residents, the militants said they would return on July 16. Bonny Island is home to a major oil and gas export terminal but production has not been affected.

Meanwhile, a militant attack in the Bonny Island area has left five people dead, the AP news agency reports. About 30 militants attacked a Navy houseboat and three militants, a navy officer and civilian were killed, said Col Chris Musa.

Panic

In Bonny, youth leader Kingsley Adonis Pepple said people took the militant's threat seriously. "They were handing out copies of this article to people in the street. There was panic. People packed up their entire family into a boat and fled."

More BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Thousands flee Nigerian militants

waltky · 07-24-2008, 12:47 AM

Guess what it will do to oil prices...

We'll hit oil pipelines, say militants
July 24, 2008 - THE main militant group in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta says it will attack major oil pipelines in the next 30 days to prove it had not received payment from the government to end its campaign.

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The head of the state-run oil firm NNPC was quoted in Nigerian newspapers as saying the company had paid militant groups $12 million to protect facilities including the Chanomi creek pipeline in Delta state. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), whose attacks have cut Nigeria's oil output by around a fifth since early 2006, said the money had gone to criminal gangs and that genuine "freedom fighters" could not be bought off.

"MEND is aware that huge payments have been made to some criminal gangs in Delta state as a protection fee...MEND will never sell its birthright for a bowl of porridge," the group said in a statement. "To prove that we are not a part of this deal, the Chanomi creek pipeline and other major pipelines will be destroyed within the next 30 days."

Bomb attacks on pipelines in the delta, the hub of Africa's biggest oil industry which produces around two million barrels per day, have disrupted supplies from the world's eighth biggest oil exporter and helped push global energy prices to record highs. Anglo-Dutch giant Royal Dutch Shell, whose facilities have been amongst the worst hit by MEND's campaign of sabotage, has a pipeline in the Chanomi creek which feeds into the Forcados oil export terminal.

We'll hit oil pipelines, say militants | NEWS.com.au

waltky · 09-15-2008, 01:36 AM

Get ready for gas prices to go up...

Nigeria militants warn of oil war
Sunday, 14 September 2008 - Militants in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta region declare war on the government after battling troops at oil facilities.

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The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said it was responding to attacks by the military. The military said it had repelled several Mend attacks. Both sides say their opponents suffered heavy losses. Mend's violent campaign for a bigger part of the area's oil wealth has cut Nigeria's oil output by more than 20%.

Mend militants are the largest of several armed groups operating in the impoverished delta region. They frequently kidnap foreign oil workers and sabotage oil installations and pipelines. Nigerian President Umaru Yar'adua is under pressure to crack down on the militants and make the delta safer for international oil firms.

Lawless region

In an email released by Mend, the group said it had launched an "oil war" on the government in response to what it described as unprovoked aerial attacks on its bases in the Niger Delta. The group said its heavily-armed fighters had fanned out in hundreds of boats to attack oil installations in Rivers state. "The operation will continue until the government of Nigeria appreciates that the solution to peace in the Niger Delta is justice, respect and dialogue," the group said.

An oil platform at Kula, operated by oil giant Chevron, was among the facilities targeted, Mend said, adding that 22 Nigerian troops had been killed in the attack. A Nigerian military spokesman said they had repelled an attack on an oil platform operated by the US company, Chevron. He said the militants had suffered heavy casualties. The Niger Delta region is the source of most of the Nigerian government's income, yet it remains blighted by poverty and corruption.

BBC NEWS | Africa | Nigeria militants warn of oil war

waltky · 09-16-2008, 05:19 AM

Rebels attack pipelines...

Militants 'destroy' Shell pipeline
September 16, 2008 - A NIGERIAN rebel group said today it had blown up and destroyed a Royal Dutch Shell pipeline in the latest attack in its "oil war" on western firms.

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The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) also said it would soon release two South African hostages it rescued from pirates. Shell did not immediately confirm the pipeline attack, but MEND has already attacked a Shell flow station since declaring its war on Sunday. It attacked a Chevron facility hours before the declaration. A Nigerian army officer however said the attack on the Shell installation was repelled.

"Soldiers sighted the militants in time and confronted them so they dropped their explosives which detonated," Lieutenant-Colonel Musa Sagir, spokesman for the unit of the Nigerian army tasked with policing the Niger Delta, told AFP. MEND is the most prominent armed group in the Delta region which says it is fighting for local people to get a greater share of the huge oil revenues. Since it began operating in early 2006 it has cut Nigeria's oil production by a quarter.

"A major crude oil pipeline at Bakana Front in Degema Local Government Area ... was destroyed with high explosives by MEND detonation engineers backed by heavily-armed fighters," MEND said in an email statement to the media. Bakana is in Rivers State, the heart of the oil region. The two earlier attacks on Shell's Alakiri flowstation and on a Chevron facility at Robertkiri are in the same state. MEND declared an all-out war on the oil industry at the weekend in response to what it said was an unprovoked attack by the Nigerian military on one of its positions on Saturday.

Other less prominent armed groups appear to have either joined forces with MEND or taken advantage of the confusion. Unidentified gunmen yesterday kidnapped a Briton in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers, Sagir. There was no immediate confirmation from British embassy sources. MEND also announced it would soon free two South Africans who were among 27 people, also including 22 Nigerians and three people who are British or Ukrainian, it rescued from pirates on Friday. MEND said it was persuaded to release the two by an appeal from Azuka Okah, wife of Henry Okah, one of the group's leaders detained in secret in the centre of Nigeria.

Militants 'destroy' Shell pipeline | NEWS.com.au

waltky · 09-22-2008, 12:55 AM

Not good news for oil speculators...

Nigerian militants halt 'oil war'
Sunday, 21 September 2008 - Nigeria's main militant group declares a ceasefire, following a week of attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta.

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The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said it had taken the decision after appeals from tribal leaders in the region. But it warned it would end the truce if attacked by the army again. Mend declared "war" on Nigeria's oil industry last Sunday after a fierce military raid on one of its bases. Groups such as Mend claim to be fighting for greater control over oil wealth in the impoverished Niger Delta, but they are accused of making money from criminal rackets and trade in stolen oil.

Cautious welcome

"Effective 0100 hours (0000GMT) 21 September, exactly one week after we launched our reprisal, mend will begin a unilateral ceasefire till further notice," the group said in a statement. "We hope that the military has learnt a bitter lesson. The next unprovoked attack will start another oil war," it said. A spokesman for the joint military taskforce, which polices the Niger Delta, cautiously welcomed Mend's move. "We are hoping it will not be another tactical deception which we have already prepared to contend," Lt Col Sagir Musa told Reuters news agency.

It is not the first time such a ceasefire has been declared, or this explanation given - and it did not last too long before, the BBC's Alex Last in Lagos says. Two militant factions in the eastern Delta have done the bulk of the fighting, and it may provide room for them to regroup, our correspondent says. He adds that it also may be an attempt to forestall any more major military action. The military says it did not pick this fight, but it has taken a much tougher line against the armed groups operating in the region.

Oil production cut

In the past week, militants have attacked gas plants, oil installations and pipelines in some of the worst violence for two years. The attacks forced oil giant Shell to declare a force majeure on Saturday - which frees it from contractual obligations - on crude oil shipments from its Niger Delta facilities. Nigeria's oil production has been cut by 20% because of unrest in the region over the past few years.

BBC NEWS | Africa | Nigerian militants halt 'oil war'