Nigeria Orders Crackdown in Volatile Oil Region

Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua has ordered a military offensive to curb the rising mayhem in the oil-rich Niger Delta. The action comes days after oil rebels attacked a key petroleum facility in the region. Gilbert da Costa has more for VOA in this report from Abuja.

The president’s spokesman, Segun Adeniyi, told reporters that a major military crackdown in the troubled Niger Delta is inevitable as the government seeks to halt the spiraling violence.

“While the federal government remains fully committed to rapid resolution of problems and grievance of the people of the Niger Delta, it will not shirk its responsibility for law and order, as well as the safety of lives and property in the Niger Delta and all other parts of Nigeria. Militants in the region who continue to spurn the peace overtures of the federal government must be prepared to face the full consequences of taking up arms against their fatherland,” he said. “The federal government will take all necessary action to stop criminals from willfully depriving the region of this indispensable ingredient of development.”

Voice of America