' MEND'S IROKO CAMP ATTACKED WRPC PIPELINE'

A militant group in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State have been identified as the mastermind of the Independence Anniversary morning attack on the System 2C pipeline of the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) in the area.



The group carried out the attack from a militant camp, identified as Iroko Camp around Gbaramatu Kingdom of the area just as our investigations revealed that the attack was motivated by financial gains rather than Niger Delta crisis.



Already, it was gathered that the leader of the group that carried out the attack (names withheld) was arrested on Friday afternoon and taken to Camp 5, where they are being interrogated by youth leaders opposed to the action.



Coordinator of the Joint Media Campaign Centre of the Joint Task Force, Lt. Col. Rabe Abubakar, neither confirmed nor denied the report when our correspondent contacted him on Sunday afternoon. He said he could only comment on activities of the task force.



The attack on the strategic pipeline has crippled the operations of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), which relies on the facility for supply of crude oil from facilities of Chevron Nigeria Limited used in its operation.



The System 2C was ruptured around Egwa community in Chanomi Creeks of Warri South West LGA, barely eight months after the facility was re-commissioned in February, 2008.



The repair of the pipeline by Fenog Nigeria Limited set the Federal Government back by US$57-million (about N7-billion) even though an international company had earlier placed a tag of over US$102m for the same job.



It was first bombed by militants around the same area in February 2006 during the wave of attacks by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).



The repair process dragged on for two years because of security and communities’ disturbance, during which period the WRPC became comatose.



However, the facility was successfully repaired in February, paving the way for the resumption of operation at the refinery, which subsequently hit 100 per cent production capacity in August.



But System 2C was again blown up in the area last Wednesday by the militant group, which was allegedly working for some indigenous contractors.



A security operative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said its investigation revealed that the gang carried out the attack allegedly for an unnamed indigenous firm that expects to get contract from the repair of the facility.



“We believe that they did it absolutely for financial gains because they had no agitation or complaints either politically or with the company involved. So, the initial indication right now is that they are working for a contractor, most likely, an indigenous firm that stands to benefit from the repair job.



“From the above and some other revelations that I cannot tell you right now, those most likely to benefit are they who would provide security for the companies carrying out the repair, those who would provide houseboat, barges, and every other supply that is involved in the entire repair process,” our source added.



Meanwhile, our correspondent gathered that the leader of the Camp 5 militant base in the area ordered the arrest of the perpetrators of the Wednesday’s attack: they were taken to the base where they are being detained in a caravan, it was learnt.