Niger Delta Militant Group Bombs Conoil Facility

Conoil facility attacked by militants in Bayelsa

A Niger Delta militant group, that styles itself Koluama Seven Brothers on Sunday said it carried out a “warning” strike on an oil facility owned by energy company Conoil in Bayelsa.

The attack was carried out on Friday, by the new group  at 12:20 a.m. on Jan. 4 at Conoil’s Angle 2 Field.

The group said the attack “is just a warning”.

The organization said it had “no other option than to launch a strike to shut down Conoil” if demands were not met.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps confirmed that a blast was heard on Friday around a Conoil pipeline in Bayelsa.

The militants threatened a production shut down at the facility owned by Mike Adenuga.

The Koluama Seven Brothers said in a statement it would carry out further strikes if its demands, including job creation, were not met by the company and a traditional leader.

Conoil Producing Nigeria operates six highly prospective blocks in the Niger Delta and produces over 80,000 barrels of oil per day, according to information on its website.

Attacks on pipelines and other facilities in the Niger Delta reached a peak in 2016, cutting Nigeria’s crude production from as much as 2.2 million barrels per day (mbpd) to near 1 mbpd – the lowest level seen in at least 30 years.- Reuters