Attempt to Blow Up Platform Foiled

Authorities of the Eastern Naval Command have explained how their officers and men succeeded last weekend in foiling attempts by some militant youths to blow up oil platforms belonging to Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited at Ibeno Eket, Akwa Ibom State, the Nigerian Tribune reported. Addressing newsmen in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, the Commanding Officer of NNS Victory, Captain Benjamin Akinwale Coker, said attempts to blow up the oil were a follow up to their forceful invasion of Mobil off-shore platform located at Edop, about 25 nautical miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Security operatives in the Niger Delta region were put on alert and at the weekend, naval patrol men on duty put a distress call to the Eastern Naval Command headquarters in Calabar and the Flag Officer of the command, Real Admiral Sunday Baje, approved the application for a military force to confront the militants who were 15 in number. Pleas by the management of Mobil to the youths were ignored as they became more hostile and restive, adding that some of them with arms destroyed facilities of Mobil and took hostage some staff of the company. A preliminary investigation of the six suspects arrested confirmed that the militants had a case to answer and condemned the activities of some youths in the Niger Delta which hurt the economy. (Source: Nigerian Tribune)