Insecurity in Nigeria’s oil delta here to stay

A U.S. intelligence view that Nigeria can no longer ensure security in the oil-producing Niger Delta is an understatement, according to experts who say lawlessness in the delta is rooted in old, intractable problems.

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A Western diplomat who closely watches the area, said militants, armed and funded from the proceeds of oil theft, had filled a power vacuum in the maze of mangrove-lined creeks that make up the delta, a region almost the size of England with an estimated 20 million inhabitants.

“The army has been brought in to control the peace … but the army is part of the problem. They are involved in bunkering,” said the diplomat, using a local term for oil theft.

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