Militants Blow UP NPDC Oil Pipeline Over Surveillance Contract Dispute

An unidentified militant group in Delta State today blew up pipelines belonging to the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) at Ighwrenene town in Ughelli North local government area. A few residents of the area told Sahara Reporters that the militant group blew up the pipelines to protest the Federal Government’s continued refusal to hire its members to provide surveillance services over all the pipelines in the area.

A young man in the area, who identified himself as one of the militants who torched the pipeline, warned that the government had seen nothing yet. “This is only the beginning of wahala [trouble],” said the man, who refused to disclose his name. 

“This is the second explosion. There will be third one. Then the government will know that, yes, this is not a child's play,” he continued. Then he added: “President Muhammadu Buhari must give the [contract for the] guarding of the pipelines to the youths. If not—well, let me stop there first.”

Our correspondent reported that the explosion, which is the second attack on the same pipeline in recent times.