Nigerian oil facilities threatened by militia

LAGOS, Nigeria – Armed with machetes, followers of a detained militia leader demonstrated in Nigeria’s main oil city yesterday, as his group said it would start destroying oil facilities and attack the army if he was not released.

Their attacks would start between 12 and 2 pm local time, (1100 to 1300 GMT), said the deputy leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, Alali Horsefall. “The operation will be to burn down all oil installations and to disarm the military,” he said yesterday morning.Horsefall had warned foreign oil workers to leave the area.Residents of Port Harcourt, in the oil-rich Niger delta region, said they heard sporadic gunfire throughout Tuesday night and yesterday morning.The source of the shooting was unclear.Dozens of soldiers and police on Tuesday arrested Moujahid Dokubo-Asari, the main militia leader in Nigeria’s south, at his office in the oil city of Port Harcourt, said his lawyer Uche Okwukwu.Nigeria’s police spokesman Haz Iwendi said yesterday he could neither confirm nor deny Dokubo-Asari’s arrest.Nigeria is the world’s eighth largest oil exporter, and the fifth main supplier to the United States.Last year, threats by Dokubo-Asari to unleash a “full-scale war” and target international oil firms helped send world oil prices to then-record levels.- Nampa-AP”The operation will be to burn down all oil installations and to disarm the military,” he said yesterday morning.Horsefall had warned foreign oil workers to leave the area.Residents of Port Harcourt, in the oil-rich Niger delta region, said they heard sporadic gunfire throughout Tuesday night and yesterday morning.The source of the shooting was unclear.Dozens of soldiers and police on Tuesday arrested Moujahid Dokubo-Asari, the main militia leader in Nigeria’s south, at his office in the oil city of Port Harcourt, said his lawyer Uche Okwukwu.Nigeria’s police spokesman Haz Iwendi said yesterday he could neither confirm nor deny Dokubo-Asari’s arrest.Nigeria is the world’s eighth largest oil exporter, and the fifth main supplier to the United States.Last year, threats by Dokubo-Asari to unleash a “full-scale war” and target international oil firms helped send world oil prices to then-record levels.- Nampa-AP