Nigeria militants order oil workers to leave delta

ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigeria’s most prominent militant group on Saturday warned oil companies in the restive Niger Delta to withdraw their workers in the next 24 hours after a gunbattle with security forces.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), responsible for attacks that have cut more than a fifth of the OPEC member’s oil output, threatened to retaliate against oil workers after at least three people were killed in fighting between security forces and militants in Tombia in Rivers state.


“Oil companies are warned to move out their workers within the next 24 hours because a hurricane is about to sweep through oil installations in the entire Niger Delta region,” MEND said in an emailed statement.

Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil, Total, Eni and Chevron are among the numerous oil companies that operate in the Niger Delta, the main source of Nigeria’s 2 million barrels per day output.

Reuters