Niger_delta_CHRONOLOGY

From: Institute of Strategic

Studies - Armed Conflict

Database









Armed clashes/violent incidents: An

Agip owned pipeline is blown up in Delta

state. The incident is reportedly linked to a

2009 2 January conflict over land ownership in the area

and is likely to have been caused by local

youths rather than militant activities.









Insurgency/Armed groups: MEND

spokesman Jomo Gbomo states that the

2008 30 December

arrest of suspected militant leader

Sobomabo Jackrich by the military proves









Law enforcement: The military arrests

suspected militant Sobomabo Jachrich in

2008 29 December

southern Rivers state. Jachrich is thought

to be a MEND commander and is wanted









Insurgency/Armed groups/Law

2008 25 December enforcement: Police in Abuja report that

they have uncovered plans by MEND to

attack prominent people in Abuja.









Political developments: President

Yar‘Adua appoints Chief Ufot Ekaette as

2008 23 December

the head of the Niger Delta Ministry.

Ekaette is from Akwa IBom state, but









Insurgency/Armed groups: The JTF says

that militant groups in the region have

amalgamated and set up a new training

camp at Arogbo community in Ondo State,

Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

2008 20 December s: Two employees of Russian aluminium

company UC Rusal are seized by gunmen

in speedboats during a pre-dawn raid on a









Peace processes: Minister of State for the

Ministry of Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe,

meets with the leaders of the youth and

militant groups at Okerenkoko, an Ijaw









Piracy: Gunmen in speedboats attack

three oil services ships off the coast of

2008 19 December

Akwa Ibom state near to oil facilities

operated by Addax Petroleum. A Filipino









Insurgency/Armed groups: MEND

threatens renewed hostilities if the federal

2008 18 December

government refuses to implement the

Niger-Delta Technical Committee (NTDC)









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

2008 17 December s: Gunmen release two foreign and one

Nigerian oil worker taken hostage on 4

December on an Addax Petroleum vessel.









Military developments: The government

deploys anti-terrorist police in the city of

Warri. It is not yet known if the policemen

will replace or work alongside the troops



2008 15 December





Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: A Scottish oil worker kidnapped on 27

November is freed.

Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Suspected militants kidnap a doctor in

Port Harcourt.







2008 14 December





Armed clashes/violent incidents/

Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: The JTF kills a militant during a raid on

a hideout in Bori Community, Khana Local









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

2008 12 December s: Unidentified gunmen kidnap the mother

of the Tai Local Government Chairman.









Insurgency/Armed groups: A MEND

spokesman states that they have entrusted

some local religious leaders to start peace

negotiations with the government but









Political developments: Various groups

2008 9 December in the Niger Delta criticise the Yar-Adua

administration for a proposed a decrease

in government expenditure in the Niger









The President of the Ijaw Youth Council

says that from January 2009 the Niger

Delta struggle will be one of non-violent

direct action aimed at forcing the federal









Military developments: The JTF

launches a fresh offensive in the delta

2008 7 December

region as a show of force to restore

confidence among oil workers and identify

Insurgency/Armed groups: MEND states

that it will not disarm within six months, but

will eventually disarm if the Niger Delta

Technical Committee report is



2008 4 December





Piracy/Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappe

arances: Pirates attack an Addax

Petroleum vessel off the coast of Akwa

Ibom state and kidnap two foreign workers









Armed clashes/violent incidents:

Gunmen attack Mobil Producing Nigeria

2008 3 December

(MPN) convoy in Akwa Ibom state, killing

one person in an apparent failed kidnap









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

2008 2 December s: A Bulgarian engineer kidnapped by eight

gunmen in the Abia state on 20 November

is released unharmed.









Political developments: The Technical

Committee on the Niger Delta presents its

2008 1 December

report and calls on the federal government

to increase the oil and gas revenue









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

2008 30 November s: A Bulgarian man kidnapped on 20

November is released unharmed.









Law enforcement: The JTF arrests two

foreigners and 14 suspected Nigerian

2008 28 November

militants in Warri. 18 suspected oil thieves

have also been arrested in Yenagoa and

Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

2008 27 November s: Unidentified gunmen abduct a Scottish

oil worker in Port Harcourt. No group has

claimed responsibility.









Insurgency/ Non-state armed groups:

Media sources report that gangs in the

Niger delta have obtained heavy machine-

2008 26 November guns, and are using them to keep military

helicopters away from their camps in

remote areas.









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Two

policemen are shot and killed by militants

in Port Harcourt. Two policemen and a

civilian were recently killed in the Kaduna



2008 25 November





Peace processes: The Nigerian National

Petroleum Corporation‘s management

team meets with oil host communities in

Abuja to discuss the issues articulated by









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: Thirty

speedboats of militants clash with soldiers,

but retreat after two gunmen are killed.

The attack is reportedly connected with the



2008 25 November





Military developments: A new security

panel is created to fight oil theft and

kidnappings in the delta region. The 12-

person panel comprises officials from the

Law enforcement: The general court

martial trying officers and soldiers involved

in the illegal sale and possession of arms

2008 24 November completes its work and jails a further two

soldiers for their involvement in gun

running operations.









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Seven

people are shot at and injured by the JTF

in Warri, following a peaceful protest by

Ugborodo youths against Chevron at



2008 24 November





Insurgency/Armed groups: The Ijaw

Youth Leaders Forum (IYLF) threatens to

interrupt shipping and attack oil and gas

facilities run by Chevron unless JTF









Armed clashes/Violent incidents:

Gunmen attacked a navy houseboat

guarding a Royal Dutch Shell oil flow

station at Nembe Creek, Bayelsa state.



2008 21 November





Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Gunmen kidnap a Bulgarian national in

the southeastern state of Abia and

demand $4.2m for his release.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: The

military repels an attack by gunmen in ten

speedboats close to a crude oil export

terminal operated by Chevron in Delta



2008 20 November





MEND states that it has it attacked a

military helicopter gunship flying near to a

major rebel camp in Bayelsa state and

warns that it will resume hostilities if it is

Political developments: The Niger Delta

Technical Committee, created by the

Federal Government to chart the way

2008 19 November forward for the region, finalises its report of

recommendations.









Law enforcement: A secret military trial

sentences six soldiers to life in prison for

selling weapons to Niger Delta criminals

between 2000 and 2006.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: A

2008 18 November Danish ship seized by militants is released

and the ten-person crew is released

unharmed. The ship had been carrying









A military spokesman stated that gunmen

loyal to rebel leader Tom Polo were behind

the attack.









Military developments: The JTF issues

another warning to militants in the face of

an increase in attacks of army and navy

positions, as well as oil installations.



2008 17 November





Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Police rescue an employee of Royal

Dutch Shell Plc hours after unidentified

gunmen in Port Harcourt abducted him

Armed clashes/Violent incidents: The

JTF and militants engage in a six-hour

shoot-out in the creeks of Bayelsa state

following an attack on the Opukushi and









Rebels seize a Danish cargo ship and its

crew and sabotage an oil pipeline operated

2008 16 November

by Shell. The attacks are believed to be in

retaliation for the seizure of a tanker









Law enforcement/ Human rights: The

government begins an investigation into an

assault on a woman by soldiers acting as

bodyguards for a major general. The









Law enforcement: Twenty-two nationals

of the Philippines are arrested in Warri

South West Government Area of Delta

2008 15 November state after their ship is intercepted for

carrying a reported 12,000 metric tonnes of

stolen crude oil.









Military developments: The JTF issues a

warning to militants, stating that it will

respond to attacks on its bases with equal

measure. Media sources report that the



2008 14 November





Armed clashes/Violent incidents: A

crude oil pipeline that feeds into the

Chevron-operated Escravos export

terminal in Delta state is attacked by









Political developments: The Niger Delta

Youth Movement accuses the Federal

Government of double standards for

paying Lagos State its withheld local



2008 13 November

2008 13 November





Insurgency/ Non-state armed groups:

The JTF reports that new militant camps

have been set up in Bayelsa and Delta

states as militants have been driven out by









Press freedom/ Human rights: The

Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People

(MOSOP) accuses the police of torturing

2008 13 November the Port Harcourt Bureau Chief of Punch

Newspapers, Ibanga Isine, and of

brutalizing a woman in Lagos and calls for

the prosecution of security forces that

currently act with impunity.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Seven French, One Tunisian and two

Cameroonian people taken hostage off the

Bakassi peninsula are released. The









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: The

2008 11 November security forces kill six unidentified gunmen

and recover their weapons during an

attempted attack on a military installation









Political developments: Former Minister

of Finance, Etubom Anthony Ani, calls on

the Federal Government to allocate $30bn

of the countries $63bn external reserves









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

MEND threatens to renew attacks on the

oil sector if soldiers storm its hideouts in

Delta and Bayelsa states. The JTF denies









2008 10 November

Human rights: Media reports indicate that

2008 10 November the African Commission on Human and

Peoples Rights









is probing the Nigerian government‘s

human rights record. Major issues include

the abuse of the rule of law, extra-judicial

killings and human trafficking.









Political developments: Rivers State

Governor Chibuike Ameachi denies that he

contributed N50m to the Niger Delta

Vigilante Movement to acquire arms for the



2008 9 November





Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: MEND frees one Ukrainian and three

Nigerian hostages seized by gunmen from

oil supply vessel on 9 September and later









Political developments: The pressure

group, Watchdog of Niger Delta, states

that for peace to be established the

2008 8 November Minister for the Niger Delta Ministry must

be an indigene of the Niger Delta region

and calls on Vice President Goodluck

Jonathan to retract earlier statements

made to the contrary.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: At

least six navy personnel are killed

intervening in a gun battle between two

2008 7 November rival gangs in Nembe, Bayelsa state. Some

gang members also died in the violence,

sparked by a dispute over local politics.

Armed clashes/Violent incidents:

Gunmen in speedboats attack the military

at an oil flow station operated by Chevron

near the border between Rivers and



2008 6 November





In a separate incident, a civilian is killed in

crossfire between militants and the navy as

20 speedboats launched a coordinated

attack on a military position at Clough









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: A Lebanese engineer kidnapped in Port

Harcourt on 3 November is released

unharmed. MEND claims to have rescued



2008 5 November





One of the ten oil workers kidnapped by

the Niger Delta Defence and Security

Council (NDDSC) and the Bakassi

Freedom Fighters (BFF) is killed in a failed









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s/ Armed clashes/Violent incidents:

Gunmen kidnap a Lebanese engineer in

2008 3 November Port Harcourt, killing one of his Nigerian

colleagues and badly wounding another.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s/ Border and boundary issues: The

commander of the of the Niger Delta

2008 1 November Defence and Security Council (NDDSC),

one of the militia groups holding ten

hostages off the Niger Delta, lifts the death

threat against the six French hostages, but

continues to hold them.

Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s/ Border and boundary issues: Rebels

opposed to Cameroon‘s takeover of the

Bakassi peninsula seize an industry



2008 31 October





Press freedom/ Human rights: Nigeria‘s

national security agency confirms that it

has detained a second US-based Nigerian

blogger.









Law enforcement/ Human rights: A

landmark human rights case (Bowoto v.

Chevron) begins in San Francisco.

2008 30 October Nineteen plaintiffs, including survivor Larry

Bowoto, are accusing Chevron of

collaboration with Nigerian military in the

brutal suppression of a protest by unarmed

villagers on a Chevron offshore oil platform









Political developments: Militants demand

the creation of more states and local

governments and state that they are

2008 27 October prepared for a cease-fire of up to six

months provided the JTF will do same and

the period will witness massive

development of the region.









Political developments: Governor

Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers state

calls for the Technical Committee to

2008 23 October recommend an upward review of the

derivation formula to fifty percent if fiscal

federalism cannot be addressed.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Gunmen kidnap the two children of a

Nigerian oil worker in Port Harcourt.

2008 21 October

Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Gunmen kidnap the two children of a

Nigerian oil worker in Port Harcourt.

2008 21 October









Press freedom: Journalist Jonathan

Elendu is arrested by the State Security

Service (SSS) on arrival from the United

2008 17 October States. Elendu is accused of ‗guerrilla

journalism‘ for reports on the economic

and environmental problems of the delta.

Various human rights, political and press

groups call for his release.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents:

Gunmen in six speedboats attack Nigerian

navy vessels guarding Shell operated

crude oil and liquefied natural gas export









Law enforcement: Seven suspected oil

bunkerers are arrested by the JTF

operatives in the Udu Local Government

Area of Delta State.









The Nigerian military recovers dynamite,

arms and ammunition from gunmen who

2008 15 October

attacked navy vessels near Bonny Island.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) in

the Niger Delta presents a ten point list of

demand, including the withdrawal of the









Political developments: President Umaru

Yar'Adua rules out waiting for a

constitutional amendment before resolving

the Niger Delta Crisis. The Rivers State

Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) states that it will

distance itself from a proposed meeting









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

2008 14 October s: Five Filipino sailors abducted by

militants are released.









Political developments: The federal

government states that the United States

and other international actors have

accepted to support its efforts in ensuring









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Julius Berger Nigeria PLC denies

reports that one of its expatriate

employees has been kidnapped by



2008 13 October





Political developments: Media report that

the Niger Delta Technical Committee will

meet with MEND, the Niger Delta Peoples

Volunteer Force and other militant groups









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

MEND states that it will continue to target

Rivers State unless Henry Okah is

2008 11 October released. The state was the scene of the

five-day ‗Oil war‘ declared by the group

following alleged attacks on its areas by

the JTF.

Military developments: The JTF denies

the deployment of Northern soldiers to kill

Southerners in the Niger Delta.







2008 10 October





The Chief of Naval Staff states that the

Navy is now ready for the security

challenges in the Niger Delta region and

states that there is a need to ‗put the









Political developments: MEND leader

Henry Okah and over 5,000 individuals and

groups from within and outside the country

submit memoranda to the Niger Delta



2008 9 October





Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

MEND threatens to make Rivers State

ungovernable if the Chief of Staff to

Governor Chibuike Amaechi, Nyesom









Law enforcement/ Insurgency/Non-state

armed groups: The JTF claims that its

clampdown on illegal oil bunkering has

caused armed groups to switch to armed









Political developments: The Niger Delta

2008 7 October Technical Committee begins public

hearings in Abuja to develop a new

strategy for development and security in









The Niger Delta Ministry remains without a

head as debate over the ethnicity of the

future minister continues. Several groups

have warned against the merging of the

Law enforcement: The JTF arrests ten

suspected crude oil thieves and militants at

Agbor-Obi and Sapele in Delta State.

2008 6 October Those arrested had fled camps in Delta

and Bayelsa State following a JTF

offensive.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Unidentified gunmen abduct six Filipino

seamen from a boat in the delta. A British

2008 5 October citizen kidnapped in mid-September in the

same area is released, officials report.









Political developments: Vice-President

Goodluck Jonathan is accused of

favouritism in the appointment of people of

Ijaw ethnic origin into key positions in the



2008 3 October





Law enforcement: Defence officials claim

that the the military's two-week-old

offensive against militants in the Niger

Delta has succeeded in reducing violence









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: A

pipeline in Chanomi Creek, Delta State, is

blown up. No group claims responsibility

2008 2 October for the incident.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups: In

response to claims by the military that 400

militants have been detained, MEND

states that none of their fighters have been



2008 1 October

2008 1 October





Political developments: In a televised

Independence Day address President

Umaru Yar'Adua pledges ‗constructive

engagement‘ in the Niger Delta. The









Political developments: Ijaw leaders

express confidence in the ability of the

President Umaru Musa Yar‘Adua

administration to resolve the protracted



2008 29 September





The Defence Headquarters states that no

new orders have been issued because the

federal government is using peaceful

means to address the problems of the









Insurgency/Non state armed groups:

Media report that militants have gone into

hiding, as the Chief of Defence Staff

issues fresh orders to flush out the militias



2008 28 September





Law enforcement: Twenty-five suspected

militants are arrested by the JTF in Rivers

State, bringing the number arrested in the

last week to 244. The militant group Water









Political developments: The federal

government calls for international solidarity

in combating oil theft, advocating to the UN

2008 26 September that stolen crude should be treated like

stolen diamonds.

Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

MEND warns of an imminent resumption of

hostilities, accusing the JTF of breaching

the terms of the ceasefire. The Defence









Political developments: Vice President

2008 25 September Goodluck Jonathan holds a meeting with

emissaries of MEND and Niger Delta

warlords, including ‗General‘ Boyloaf,









Law enforcement: Police report that they

have arrested over 200 suspected militants

in raids in the delta.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

Militants operating in the creeks of Ondo

State hand over police weapons stolen

2008 24 September from Ode-Irele police station to security

agents in the state.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: MEND

accuses the military of carrying out an air

strike on their camps but declare that it will

2008 23 September maintain the unilateral ceasefire it

announced on 21 September. A general

has pledged to ‗break the will‘ of the delta‘s

armed groups.









Political developments: Ijaw leaders

begin competing for control of Niger Delta

ministry, as rival groups move to produce

2008 22 September the new Niger Delta minister.

Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta announces a ceasfire until

2008 21 September further notice, saying that it has decided to

halt attacks following pleas from prominent

people in the region such as Osun Osun

State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye

Oyinlola.









Political developments/ Insurgency/Non-

state armed groups: Media report that

militants are showing signs of weariness

2008 20 September with battle and have started making

underground overtures to members of the

Presidential Technical Committee, calling

on the body to broker a dialogue with the

government.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: MEND

claims to have destroyed another major oil

pipeline in an attack on a Shell operated

2008 19 September pipeline at Buguma Front, Rivers state.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: Two

militant groups with links to MEND clash

with each other at Harristown, Rivers

2008 19 September State. The turf fight is reportedly part of an

ongoing struggle between gunmen loyal to

rival faction leaders - Farah Dagogo and

Soboma George.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: MEND

states that it has bombed a Shell operated

pipeline in Rivers state hours after the

2008 18 September newly appointed Chief of Defence staff

sought to rally troops in the region.

Armed clashes/Violent incidents: MEND

states that it has bombed a Shell operated

pipeline in Rivers state hours after the

2008 18 September newly appointed Chief of Defence staff

sought to rally troops in the region.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: MEND releases two South African oil

workers kidnapped on 9 September. The

workers were among 27 people rescued



2008 17 September





Armed clashes/Violent incidents: The oil

war continues for a fifth day as MEND

claims to have destroyed the Orubiri oil-

pumping station and an oil pipeline at









Armed clashes/Violent incidents:

Chevron confirms a shooting near its

Idama platform as militants claim to have

destroyed a major oil pipeline.



2008 16 September





Military developments: The Nigerian

government sends more troops to Rivers

state, where fighting continues in the

creeks. At least nine militants and several









Armed clashes/Violent incidents:

Militants attack a Royal Dutch Shell oil

station in Alakiri in Rivers state on the third

2008 15 September day of heavy battles between armed forces

and armed groups. At least one guard is

killed in the clash and four are injured as

militants attack the station with explosives.

Shell responds by removing 1000









Armed clashes/Violent incidents:

Chevron confirms an attack on an oil

platform in Kula following a declaration of

2008 14 September ‗war‘ by MEND. MEND claims to have

already attacked oil flow stations and

pipelines.

Armed clashes/Violent incidents:

Chevron confirms an attack on an oil

platform in Kula following a declaration of

2008 14 September ‗war‘ by MEND. MEND claims to have

already attacked oil flow stations and

pipelines.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: The

military and MEND fighters clash in Eleme-

Tombia, Rivers State. The JTF claims

MEND launched an attack on troops,



2008 13 September





Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

MEND announces that it will launch a

campaign named ‗Hurricane Barbarossa‘

in response to air and naval attacks on one









Political developments: President

Yar‘Adua creates a Ministry of the Niger

Delta. The move meets a key demand

made by the various armed groups and is



2008 10 September





Population displacement: Residents of

Nembe community are fleeing the area

following alleged threats by militants to

invade the area in Bayelsa state in revenge









Political developments: The federal

government denies that is has agreed a

nuclear deal with Iran.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents:

2008 9 September Unidentified gunment hijack an oil industry

supply vessel with five foreign workers and

eight Nigerians on board.

Press freedom: Detained American

journalist Andrew Berends is released, but

his translator remains in custody.









Political developments: The Niger Delta

Technical Committee is inaugurated and

given ten days to submit a report to Vice-

President Goodluck Jonathan.



2008 8 September





Political developments/ Military

developments: Rumours of a military

coup intensify and the ruling PDP claims

that foreign interests, intent on creating









Armed clashes/Violent incidents:

Militants kill one sailor and kidnap another

during a hijack of a vessel belonging to the

Nigerian unit of Italian oil company Agip in



2008 7 September





Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Unidentified gunmen kidnap the father

of Chief Augustine Ordu, a Rivers State

lawmaker, in Port Harcourt.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Two French citizens taken hostage in

Onne on 2 August are freed.

2008 6 September









Political developments: The federal

government sets up a 40-member

technical committee to replace the failed

2008 5 September talks to be headed by UN special envoy

Ibrahim Gambari. The committee is

chaired by former finance minister Kalu

Idika Kalu, an Igbo from southeast Nigeria.

Political developments: The federal

government sets up a 40-member

technical committee to replace the failed

2008 5 September talks to be headed by UN special envoy

Ibrahim Gambari. The committee is

chaired by former finance minister Kalu

Idika Kalu, an Igbo from southeast Nigeria.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Gunmen kidnap a three year-old from a

home in Port Harcourt. Media report that a

2008 3 September further six children have been kidnapped in

the last month.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: An Israeli man kidnapped on 27 August

is released unharmed.







2008 1 September





Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Joint Task Force accuses MEND of

planning a fresh wave on violence in the

delta region.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Front for Ijaw Survival and Hope

(FISH) demands an apology from United

2008 1 September States for the illegal detention of the

president of the Federated Niger-Delta Ijaw

Communities (FNDIC), Chief Oboko Bello

at the Atlanta Central Maximum jail.









Press freedom: An American freelance

journalist and his Nigerian interpreter are

arrested in Port Harcourt for ‗spying‘ while

2008 31 August filming the military.

Armed clashes/Violent incidents: MEND

claims to have attacked the military with

missiles, grenades and speedboats in a

‗deadly offensive‘ named ‗Operation



2008 30 August





Political developments: A faction of

MEND led by Timi Warilado condemns

recent attacks on Shell and other oil

companies in the region, stating that they









Political developments: Iran agrees to

share nuclear technology with Nigeria. A

senior Nigerian foreign ministry official has

2008 29 August stressed that the technology is not

intended for military use.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Kidnappers seize and Israeli

businessman in Port Harcourt and demand

a ransom of US$12m. MEND states that it



2008 27 August





Political developments: Oil minister

Odein Ajumogobia admits that the long-

awaited peace summit meant to end

violence in the Niger Delta has effectively









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: MEND

accuses the JTF of killing 12 civilians in an

attack on a commercial transport boat in

Bayelsa state. The army denies that any



2008 25 August

2008 25 August





A government mediator is killed and over

twenty others are injured by a landmine

explosion during the surrender of a group

of Tuareg-led Niger Justice Movement









Military developments: President Umaru

Yar‘Adua sacks generals loyal to former

President Obasanjo, the former Chief of

2008 21 August Defence Staff, Andrew Azazi.









Human rights: MEND accuses the army

of the extra-judicial killing of 22 insurgents,

stating that the JTF has executed all of the

2008 20 August cultists captured in Port Harcourt during a

clash between rival militant groups.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: At

least three people are killed in a turf

dispute between rival armed gangs. The

dispute, over control of stolen oil in Sama,



2008 19 August





Political developments: Delta leaders

and groups reject a federal government

plan to construct pipelines to channel gas

produced in the Niger Delta states of Delta,









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC), a

group comprising representatives of

2008 17 August various militant groups, gives the Joint

Task Force (JTF) 24 hours to ‗explain‘ the

clash in Rivers state in which 12 militants

died.

Armed clashes/Violent incidents: 12

militants and one naval officer are killed in

a gun battle near a Royal Dutch Shell

2008 15 August natural gas plant in Rivers state. Security

sources say that militants linked to MEND

ambushed two navy gunboats on patrol

and troops returned fire.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: MEND says that it has rescued two

german Julius Berger workers kidnapped

2008 14 August on 11 July.









Law enforcement: JTF troops claim that a

recent controversial raid in the Bomadi

area of Delta state in which 500 people

2008 13 August were made homeless and 600 people are

missing resulted in the recovery if two

surface-to-air missiles.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Niger Delta Vigilante Movement, led

by Ateke Tom, and the Niger Delta

2008 12 August Patriotic Force claim to have attacked a

Shell flow station in Rivers state.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

MEND renews a threat to carry out attacks

on the foreign staff of Julius Berger PLC if

2008 10 August they do not cease works in Abuja. The

threat may be a bid to pressure the

company into resuming work in the delta,

which ceased following the kidnapping of

two German staff members.

Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

MEND renews a threat to carry out attacks

on the foreign staff of Julius Berger PLC if

2008 10 August they do not cease works in Abuja. The

threat may be a bid to pressure the

company into resuming work in the delta,

which ceased following the kidnapping of

two German staff members.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: The

Nigerian navy sinks two boats and kills an

unspecified number of militants in

2008 7 August Cawthorne Channel, 20 km from Port

Harcourt.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

MEND threatens to attack foreign workers

at construction firm Julius Berger if it does

not halt operations by 11 August.



2008 5 August





Armed clashes/Violent incidents: JTF

troops attack the village of Agge and

recover surface-to-air missiles. Soldiers

were reportedly looking for militants who









Military developments: The Chief of

Naval Staff says that the warships ordered

by the federal government from UK are not

2008 4 August for the purpose of attacking militants in the

Niger Delta.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

Media report that militants have looted the

armouries of almost all of the police

2008 3 August formations along the Delta coast.

Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Militants abduct two French oil workers

at Onne, 20 km from Port Harcourt.

2008 2 August









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: Rival

militant gangs led by Sogboma George

and Prince Farah clash in Port Harcourt.

2008 1 August Three are killed and ten sustain gunshot

wounds before soldiers move into the

Borokiri area to restore peace.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Gunmen kidnap Ndubueze Olumeni,

ruler of a community near the Rivers State

capital of Port Harcourt from his palace.



2008 31 July





Political developments: The federal

government denies rumours that it has

abandoned the proposed Niger Delta

Summit.









Law enforcement: Soldiers raid the home

of ex-militia leader Mujahid Dokubo-Asari

in Abuja and arrest six of his business

2008 31 July associates. The former leader of the rebel

Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force

served 20 months in prison for treason, but

was released on condition that he does not

resume militant activities.

Armed clashes/Violent incidents: A turf

war between two militant gangs breaks out

in Abonnema, outside Port Harcourt.

2008 30 July Soldiers sent to quell the violence are

ambushed and one soldier and two

militants die in the fighting. It is believed

one of the gangs involved is led by

Soboma George and was implicated in









Armed clashes/Violent incidents:

Militants attack two major pipelines

belonging to Shell at Kula in Degema Local

2008 28 July Government Area of Rivers State. In

response the Nigerian Military stated that it

did not plan to launch a renewed offensive

in the region.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

MEND warns that it will unleash

'uncontrollable violence' if the federal

2008 27 July government brings in British soldiers to

contain violence in the Niger delta.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s/ Piracy: Three separate kidnappings

take place between 24 and 26 July at the

2008 26 July mouth of the Bonny river. In total 21 oil

workers are abducted. All are eventually

released unharmed.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Up to 15 gunmen in speedboats kidnap

two oil engineers working for Damas Oil

and Marine Services in Port Harcourt. The



2008 25 July

2008 25 July





Law enforcement: The Nigerian military

kills 12 militants and arrests a further 60 in

a crackdown to end criminal activities in

the Delta, media report.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

MEND announces that it will destroy major

oil pipelines 'within the next 30 days' to

2008 23 July disassociate itself from a $12m Nigerian

National Petroleum Corporation pipeline

protection deal with a group MEND has

called a criminal gang used as a front for

the Delta state governor.









Political developments: The federal

government abandons the planned peace

summit in favour of dialogue with

interested groups, media report.









Military developments: The government

2008 22 July denies reports that it will seek military

assistance from the UK or other foreign

interests to secure peace in the Delta









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: The

Nigerian army accuses local politicians of

backing the gunmen who killed a group of

three soldiers and four civilians on the









Political developments: The Action

Congress states that the agreement

between Britain and Nigeria to set up a

2008 21 July security training force to help battle the

militants in the Niger Delta will worsen the

crisis in the oil rich region.

Armed groups: MEND states that it has

identified the group responsible for

kidnapping two German workers and will

2008 20 July negotiate their unconditional release.









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Three

militants, a naval officer and a civilian are

killed as 30 armed men in speedboats

2008 16 July attack a navy vessel guarding key oil

facilities in Rivers state. MEND denies any

involvement in the attack.









Kidnappings: Two Germans employees

of a construction company are abducted by

armed gunmen.

2008 11 July









Armed groups: MEND suspends a two-

week-old unilateral ceasefire and threatens

British interests in the region in response

2008 10 July to Gordon Brown's promise at the G8

summit to support the Nigerian

government in ending violence in the

region.









Political developments: Following

continued pressure from Niger Delta

governors, elders and groups, Ibrahim

2008 9 July Gambari stands down as the chairman of

the Steering Committee of the proposed

Niger Delta summit.

Armed clashes/violent incidents:

Gunmen attack the commissioner

representing Ondo State on the board of

the Niger Delta Development Commission



2008 8 July





Soldiers and police clash with youths

conducting a violent demonstration in

Effurun, which forced the closure of

businesses and roads in the Warri area.









Armed clashes/violent incidents:

Former Information Minister and prominent

Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, claims that,

2008 7 July due to his work to fight corruption and

injustice in the Niger Delta, there is a plot

to assassinate him and attribute it to an

armed robbery.









Military developments: Media report that

the Presidency has shelved plans for a

military offensive in the delta, directing

2008 5 July troops to act only when militants confront

them or attack oil installations under their

protection.









Political developments: The Niger Delta

Youth Council (NDYC) asks Vice President

Goodluck Jonathan to resign, saying that

2008 3 July he has failed in his handling of the delta

region's problems in the last year. The

National President of NDYC also described

President Umaru Yar'Adua's seven-point

agenda as a ruse.

Political developments: The Northern

Union says that it is ready to facilitate a

peaceful resolution to the crisis in the Niger

2008 2 July Delta region.









Political developments: The Niger Delta

Youths for Total Freedom reject the

upcoming peace summit and call on all

2008 1 July South-South people to do the same,

because the summit is just 'another way to

enrich some people at the expense of the

suffering masses of the Niger Delta'.









Political developments: Community

elders in the agree to join peace talks

despite reservations about the

2008 30 June government's choice of mediator,

according to the Vice President.









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Some

30 unidentified militants attack the Shell

Petroleum Development Company's

2008 29 June Oloma flow station in Bonny. Three

soldiers, one naval officer and three others

die in the clash.









Political developments: The JTF

accuses militants of issuing propaganda

and misrepresenting pockets of violence

2008 27 June as war to create a sense of insecurity and

panic.

Kidnappings: Nigerian militants release a

Chevron Corp. supply boat with the 11

crew members hijacked in the Niger Delta

on 13 May between the oil city of Port



2008 26 June





Law enforcement: The Joint Task Force

in Bayelsa State reports that it has broken

up clashes between rival militias - the

Prince-Igodo-led group and the Ogunbos









Armed clashes/violent incidents: The

Joint Task Force (JTF) and militant groups

clash in Bayelsa state as JTF soldiers

search for the militants responsible for the



2008 24 June





Political developments: MEND states

that it is maintaining a ceasefire, but

threatens to resume attacks as JTF

soldiers block one of its camps.









Political developments/Armed groups:

MEND announces an indefinite unilateral

ceasefire effective from midnight on 24

June, following an appeal by delta elders.









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Six

2008 23 June people are killed in battles between militant

groups who support the peace pact signed

with government of Bayelsa State and









Armed groups: Wanted warlord, Ateke

Tom, is reported to have prevented an

attempt to blow up another Shell facility in

Rivers state following orders from the Ijaw

Armed clashes/violent incidents:

Militants attack a Chevron oil pipeline near

the Escravos area of the Niger Delta,

2008 21 June forcing a shutdown in crude production.









Armed clashes/violent incidents:

Militants attack a Chevron oil pipeline near

the Escravos area of the Niger Delta,

2008 21 June forcing a shutdown in crude production.









Military developments: President Umaru

Yar'Adua orders the country's armed

forces to boost security in the Niger Delta

2008 20 June and flush out those responsible for the

attack on the Bonga oil patrfom.









Armed clashes/violent incidents: MEND

militants attack a Shell oil platform, 120

kilometres offshore. The attack on the

Bonga platform raises alarm bells as such









Kidnappings: MEND release an American

2008 19 June oil worker captured in an attack on an

offshore oil facility.

Political developments: MEND rejects an

offer of amnesty for laying down their

arms, stating that the government cannot

be trusted.









Armed clashes/violent incidents: The

Niger Delta Freedom Fighters bomb a

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation

2008 17 June pipeline in Edo state in protest against the

'unprovoked destruction of Egbema

communities' and the government's

insistence on the planned Niger Delta

summit.









Political developments: Following talks

with French President Sarkozy President

Yar'Adua announces that the

2008 14 June administration raise Nigeria's crude oil

production capacity from two to four million

barrels per day by 2010.









Military developments: The Action

Congress party in Bayelsa state calls the

continued militarisation of the Niger Delta

an admission of failure in addressing the









Nigeria and the United Kingdom sign a

Memorandum of Understanding relating to

the legal framework for permanent and

visiting UK military training teams.









Kidnappings: Some 30 armed militants

2008 13 June attack the residence of the CEO of

Adamac oil group, killing a guard and

kidnapping the man's father. No group has

Political developments: The IJAW Youth

Council passes a vote of no confidence in

Ibrahim Gambari as chairman of the

proposed summit on the Niger Delta,









President Umaru Yar'Adua says that the

Niger delta summit will take place in July

and will be organised by Vice President

Goodluck Jonathan, a native of the delta.









Political developments: Senator Francis

Okpozo, calls on the United Nations Under-

Secretary for Political Affairs, Ibrahim

Gambari, to 'stay away' from the proposed









President Umaru Yar'adua visits President

Sarkozy and signs a political, economic

2008 12 June

and energy cooperation agreement

providing for civil nuclear power capacity









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Ijaw

leaders deny carrying out a reprisal attack

on the JTF and suggested that the

government was using the allegation as an









Law enforcement: The federal

government drops its charges against

Chief Edward Atatah, a MEND leader. As

many as 55 charges have been filed









The government increases security around

the delta's oil installations following the

2008 11 June

threat issued by MEND on 10 June. The

Reformed Niger Delta People's Volunteer

The leader of MEND, Henry Okah,

appears in the High Court in Abuja and

insists on an open trial.









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Nine

navy officers are killed and four civilians

are injured in a fresh attack on vessels

offering security to Addax petroleum. No









Armed groups: The Movement for the

2008 10 June Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)

says that it will retaliate against the military

for allegedly invading and burning down









The Shell Petroleum Development

Company denies MEND allegations that it

has imported arms and ammunition to

Nigeria and contributed to the proliferation









Kidnappings/Piracy: Over 50 militants

attack an oil security vessel off the coast of

Nigeria and briefly hijack the boat, owned

2008 9 June by Addax Petroleum, kidnapping eight

naval officers in the process. One sailor is

killed and four are injured in the attack.

MEND states that it is not responsible for

the attack.









Law enforcement: Joint Task Force

soldiers launch an attack on militant camps

in the Warri North Local Government Area

2008 8 June of Delta State, extending operations from

Bayelsa state. Sources report that

weapons were recovered, the camps were

destroyed and militant groups suffered

heavy losses.

Kidnappings: Armed men kidnap two

Lebanese construction workers in the delta

and demand a ransom for their release.







2008 4 June





Political developments: President Amaru

Yar'Adua announces that Shell will be

replaced in the Delta Region by another oil

company by the end of 2008. Shell has









Law enforcement: Governor Rotimi

Amaechi of Rivers state tells the Truth and

Reconciliation Commission in Port

Harcourt that he has never been involved









Political developments: The Dinkoro

2008 3 June community calls on the government to

intervene in a looming crisis between the

oil-rich riverside Dinkoru and Tebu

communities in Delta State, who are

involved in a land dispute.









Political developments: Niger Delta

leaders dismiss a summit on the region

proposed by the federal government,

describing it as a 'jamboree'. The leaders



2008 2 June





Kidnappings: Unknown gunmen kidnap

the wife of a former Commissioner of

Bayelsa state, while she attends a church

service in Port Harcourt.

Political developments/Military

developments: The senate urges the

federal government to provide improved

funding for the navy, as the security of









Political developments: President

Yar'Adua says that the government will

increase regulatory control of the oil and

gas industry, renegotiate terms with oil



2008 1 June





Law enforcement: Media report that extra

precautions taken by security agencies

scuttled plans by the Movement for the

Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) to









Human rights: An Amnesty International

report accuses the military of involvement

in the killing of civilians in the Niger Delta.

Amnesty claim that the military Joint Task









Law enforcement: Eleven kidnappers

arrested by the Rivers State Police

Command are paraded at Government

House.



2008 30 May





Military developments: The chief of staff,

Major General Abdullahi Mohammed,

resigns. A senior special assistant to the

president, Bolaji Osinowo, is to act until a









Armed groups: MEND threatens to attack

the upcoming Democracy day

celebrations, claiming to have developed

2008 29 May plans to detonate car bombs in some Niger

Delta states.

Armed clashes/violent incidents: MEND

attacks a major trunk pipeline belonging to

Shell in Rivers State and claims to have

2008 26 May killed 11 soldiers in the attack. Shell

confirms the attack, but the Joint Task

Force denies that soldiers were killed. The

attack is part of a campaign by militants

marking President Umaru Yar'Adua's first









Kidnappings: Gunmen kidnap two

foreigners working for Nigerian oil services

company Lonestar near the town of

2008 23 May Omoku in Rivers State and demand one

billion naira for their release.









Law enforcement: The military thwarts an

attack on an oil facility belonging to Royal

Dutch Shell and kills two militants in the

2008 22 May process.









Armed groups/Political developments:

The federal government announces that it

will employ militants in the area to monitor

2008 20 May oil pipelines in an effort to end the activities

of vandals in the Niger Delta. The

operations of the militants will be

supervised by the police and security

forces.









Armed groups: MEND in Bayelsa State

threatens to destroy oil pipelines in the

state and calls on Daewoo Nigeria Limited

2008 19 May and other companies operating in the state

to leave. The group has stated that the

ceasefire announced in December 2007 is

under threat because of the activities of

some oil companies and the Joint Military

Armed groups: MEND in Bayelsa State

threatens to destroy oil pipelines in the

state and calls on Daewoo Nigeria Limited

2008 19 May and other companies operating in the state

to leave. The group has stated that the

ceasefire announced in December 2007 is

under threat because of the activities of

some oil companies and the Joint Military









Political developments: President

Umaru Yar'Adua says that Nigeria will not

invite foreign mediators such as former US

2008 16 May President Jimmy Carter to help deal with

the crisis in the Delta, as international

involvement would define the problem as

'the people of the Niger Delta versus other

Nigerians'.









Kidnappings: Militants kidnap nine

Nigerians and two foreigners in an attack

on a boat carrying supplies for the US oil

2008 13 May group Chevron near Port Harcourt. The

military report that a ransom of $259,000

has been requested for the hostages‘

release. MEND has stated that it is not

responsible for the kidnappings.









Political developments: President

Yar‘Adua visits Yenagoa, the capital of

Bayelsa State, in his first visit to the Delta

2008 11 May region since his election to the presidency

and holds meetings with traditional rulers

and other stakeholders. The President also

called on violence in the Delta to stop and

warned that it threatened Nigeria‘s status









Political developments: The Movement

for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta

(MEND) threatens to boycott a proposed

2008 9 May peace summit for the region unless the

government follows through on previous

agreements, including building

infrastructure and protecting the

environment.

Armed clashes/violent incidents:

Suspected militants bomb the offices of

Nigeria's ruling Peoples Democratic Party

2008 8 May (PDP) in Bayelsa state. No casualties are

reported and no group has claimed

responsibility.









Political developments: Hundreds of

women in Bayelsa State protest against

the engagement of youths and women in

2008 5 May political violence in the Delta region and

call on politicians to promote peace.









Political developments: The leader of

MEND calls for fiscal federalism and 50%

derivation as a lasting solution to the crisis

2008 4 May in the Delta. The current derivation is 13%,

which militants believe is inadequate for

the impoverished region.









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Rebels

blow up three oil wells belonging to the

Shell Petroleum Development Company in

Bayelsa State. No group has claimed









Law enforcement: The leader of the

2008 3 May Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) refuses to enter a plea

after treason charges against him are read









Kidnappings: Unknown gunmen take two

men hostage in Rivers State after

attacking their ship. No group has claimed

responsibility. Meanwhile, the wife of the

Law enforcement: The court in which

militant leader Henry Okah will be tried

decides that his trial will be held in secret

2008 2 May as requested by the government. Lawyers

for Mr Okah say that they will appeal the

decision. An open trial could be politically

explosive, given the collaboration between

militants, politicians and the security forces









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Two

people are shot dead at a checkpoint in the

Ogoni area of Rivers State.

2008 1 May









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Two oil

pipelines belonging to Shell are attacked

by the Movement for the Emancipation of

2008 21 April the Niger Delta (MEND).









Political developments: Troops are

deployed in the capital of Bayelsa State

after a court quashes the election of its

2008 16 April governor and orders fresh elections,

stating that there was no evidence that the

14 April 2007 gubernatorial poll took place.

It is the tenth such ruling since the 2007

elections.









Kidnappings: Five Nigerian oil workers

are kidnapped by unknown gunmen in

Ondo State. The abduction follwos a

dispute between the oil company Express



2008 31 March

2008 31 March





Political developments: Leaders of the

Ugborodo Community in Delta State

appeal to the Governor Emmanuel

Uduaghan, to prevail on Chevron to









Political developments: The Senate will

enact laws to help the Nigerian Navy to

tackle illegal bunkerers in the Delta region,

media report. The Navy is also to take



2008 28 March





Kidnappings: Unknown gun men storm

the Bayelsa State Government owned

Niger Delta University and kidnap the 22-

year old son of the Deputy Speaker of the









Law enforcement: Human Rights Watch

warns that chronic gang warfare will return

to the region if President Umaru Yar'Adua

2008 27 March fails to bring to justice local politicians who

have fuelled the unrest. Gangs behind

kidnappings, oil theft and other violent

crime in the Niger Delta are thought to be

going unpunished because of their









Law enforcement: The Governor of

Rivers State, Chubuike Amaechi, reveals

that the federal government has declared

the leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante



2008 26 March





Media report that piracy off the Niger River

Delta has increased this year, partly as a

result of increased army and police activity

on land. There are between 5 and 10 ships

Armed clashes/violent incidents: At

least four suspected militants are shot

dead during a gun duel with government

troops in the Delta region.









Kidnappings: Four gunmen abduct the

wife of a Port Harcourt politician and his

three-week-old baby for ransom. Samuel

Ejiogu is a candidate for the ruling



2008 25 March





Political developments: A leading

member of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC),

Peter Ajube, urges youths in the Niger

Delta to reconsider their approach to









American, British and Nigerian intelligence

and military officers meet in Abuja under

the Gulf of Guinea Energy Security

Strategy (GGESS) to explore fresh









Armed clashes/violent incidents: An

explosion at a naval base kills two sailors

2008 21 March

and destroys two gunboats, a speedboat

and a barge. The Movement for the









Armed clashes/violent incidents: A

Nigerian security official is shot and killed

in Port Harcourt. The official, Gabriel

2008 19 March Obom, was working undercover and was

credited with many of the successes of

security agencies against Niger Delta

militants. He was also the

government‘s main witness in many cases









Armed clashes/violent incidents: US

embassy officials state that 14 American

2008 17 March

citizens, including two government officials,

have been robbed at gunpoint, apparently

Political developments: The federal

government and Ijaw activists reach

agreement on the cessation of hostilities

2008 15 March and enforcement of a cease-fire treaty by

both the militants and the Joint Task Force

(JTF). The latest meeting of the

government and the Ijaw Youth Leadership

Forum (IYLF) in Abuja, presided over by









Armed groups: Officials of the Joint Task

Force seize a weapons cache ‗large

enough for an army‘ and begin digging up

an oil pipeline found at Ateke Tom‘s



2008 12 March





Armed clashes/violent incidents:Heavily

armed gunmen in speedboats capture a

barge carrying building materials through

the creeks of the Niger Delta and abduct









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Heavy

shooting is reported along Okrika Jetty in

2008 11 March

Rivers State and security agencies have

been put on red alert, media report. Police









Political developments: The future of

peace talks remains uncertain as militia

2008 7 March

leader Ateke Tom accuses the

government of talking peace while









Law enforcement/political

developments: Edward Attata and Henry

Okah, the leader of the rebel group

Movement for the Emancipation of the









2008 5 March

The treatment of Okah has angered

MEND, describing the peace talks as

2008 5 March

dead. The group has accused the federal

government of being vindictive towards









Armed clashes/violent

incidents/kidnappings: A German man is

kidnapped by unknown gunmen, who killed

a driver and two soldiers in the attack. The









Kidnappings/ Armed clashes/violent

incidents: A soldier is killed at the scene

of the kidnap of an expatriate in Port

2008 4 March Harcourt. In a separate incident, the

children of Ephram Nwuzi, a leader of the

PDP in Rivers State, were also kidnapped.









Armed clashes/violent incidents:

Militants attack the Marine Police Station

2008 2 March

on Bonny Island, Rivers State, and destroy

a section of the station. Media report that









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Armed

militants clash with the security forces in

Port Harcourt one day after peace talks

2008 29 February fail. Media report that militants have shot

dead military personnel and abducted a

woman and two children, during running

street battles. The violent nature of the

attacks and the fact that militants are no









Political developments: The leaders of

the region‘s militant groups fail to reach an

agreement on ending the violence and

kidnappings in the area. The groups have



2008 28 February

2008 28 February





According to analysts, this meeting offered

the brightest hope for peace in the Delta

as, for the first time in years all groups

were involved in the discussions. At first it









Armed groups/political developments:

32 Niger Delta groups affiliated to the

Supreme Council of the Niger Delta

2008 28 February resolve to abide by a code of conduct on

good behaviour and non-violent agitation.

Chief David Enang, President General of

the Supreme Council announced the

commitment in Eket during the









Political developments: Violence in the

region is halted as a temporary ceasefire is

declared by rebel groups. The groups will

2008 25 February hold negotiations in the coming days.









Economic development: Media report

that militancy in the Niger Delta costs the

Nigerian economy 45bn dollars over the

2008 24 February past three years, an amount greater than

that required to provide infrastructure for

the area.









Law enforcement/Political

developments: Nigerian police accuse the

detained rebel leader, Henry Okah, of

2008 22 February murder, arms dealing, oil smuggling and

other crimes. The announcement has

raised the prospect of a trial that could

destabilise the area. Okah, an Ijaw, is one

of the leaders of the Movement for the

Military developments: The American

Navy begins a maritime surveillance

training exercise with the Nigerian Navy

2008 21 February and Airforce, with a focus on search and

rescue procedures, aircraft maintenance

and best practices to improve maritime

safety in the country. The one-week

exercise, the 'Nigeria-USA Exercise









Military developments: Senator David

Dafinone argues against the N444.6 billion

allocation in the 2008 budget for security in

the Niger Delta stating that it will not



2008 20 February





Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Gunmen kidnap a Nigerian manager

with Agip, a subsidiary of Italy's Eni, and

wound his driver. The man was snatched









Non-state armed groups/Insurgency: A

Nigerian presidential spokesman denies

claims by the most prominent armed group

in oil-rich southern Nigeria that one of its



2008 19 February





Political developments/regional

relations: President Yar'Adua holds talks

with Togolese head of state Faure

Gnassingbe in Abuja to discuss









Political developments: A rebel group

writes an open letter to US President

George W. Bush, who is in Africa, asking

2008 18 February him to mediate talks with the Nigerian

government. Bush is not due to stop in

Nigeria during his tour of five African

nations and there have been no

international mediators involved in the

Political developments: The Ogboinbiri

Community in the Southern Ijaw area of

2008 12 February

Bayelsa State agree to adopt a new

approach in the presentation of their









Political developments: Nigeria's

government orders all of the oil firms that

2008 8 February

have fled the Niger Delta in the wake of

militant attacks to return to the area or









Civil unrest: Youths from the five oil

producing ethnic nationalities in Delta State

begin protests in Warri and Effurun to

2008 7 February express their anger at delays in the

establishment of five modular refineries

initiated by the Delta State Oil Producing

Areas Development Commission

(DESOPADEC). The group is part of the









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Three

naval ratings are killed in gunfire with

armed militants in Nembe creek, on the

border of Bayelsa and Rivers State.



2008 3 February





Three naval ratings are killed in gunfire

with armed militants in Nembe creek, on

the border of Bayelsa and Rivers State.

Reports indicate that the militants have









Political developments: The Chief of

Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General

2008 27 January

Luka Yusuf, declares yesterday that the

problems of the Niger Delta required a









Political developments: Militants of the

Niger Delta Joint Revolutionary Council

2008 24 January

(JRC) describe President Yar'Adua‘s

statement that as yet unpaid federal

Political developments: The United

Nations and other international agencies

2008 23 January

state that they are concerned about delays

to the date of the Niger Delta summit









Political developments: Warlord Ateke

Tom states that he is ready to lay down his

arms in return for amnesty, as Ijaw leaders

including E. K. Clark and Alabo Graham-









Multi-national oil firms lobby the Federal

Government to extend the deadline for

2008 21 January

ending gas flaring to 2010 from 31

December, 2008. The original deadline of









The Shell Petroleum Development

Company (SPDC) also seeks government

role in fighting the theft of crude oil, stating

that the volatility of the Delta region has









Armed clashes / violent incidents: The

Nigerian Navy kills one militant and arrests

three more during an attack on a naval

patrol boat on the Andoni River.









Political developments: The Movement

2008 20 January for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta

(MEND) calls for the United Nations to

intervene in the region‘s conflict in order to









The Rivers State government bulldozes

the "Evil Forest", a stronghold of the

warlord, Ateke Tom. The destruction was

reported to be in preparation for the

Political developments: The World Bank

Vice President for the African Region, Mrs

2008 18 January

Obiageli Ezekwesili, meets with the

governors of the Niger Delta states at a









Political developments: Militants urge the

President Umar Yar Adua to resolve the

crisis in the Delta Region and to draw on

the knowledge of the Minister for Special









The militants say that they will return to the

negotiations only when they are certain

2008 16 January

that the real issues will form part of the

discussion.









The Action Congress (AC) in Rivers State

appeals to the federal and state

governments to grant unconditional

amnesty to all militants in the region and









Political developments: The Ijaw Youth

Leaders' Forum (IYLF) agrees to return to

the negotiating table as Iiaw leaders reach

a new understanding with the Federal



2008 14 January





Law enforcement: Fifteen army officers,

including three Colonels, two lieutenant

colonels, one major and nine non-

commissioned officers, face a court martial









Political developments: The Vice

President, Dr. Jonathon Goodluck,

2008 12 January

becomes leader of the Niger Delta Peace

and Reconciliation Committee.

Political developments: Media sources

report that a peace agreement between

2008 12 January

militants and the federal government

should have been sealed but that the









Political developments: The federal

government orders the military in the Niger

Delta region to begin an offensive

operation against all known militants and



2008 9 January





MEND acknowledges that foreign

mercenaries are training youths in several

camps in the region.









Law Enforcement: A Joint Task Force

(JTF) raid results in the confiscation of four

ocean going barges laden with crude oil,

three oil tanker trucks and two pick up



2008 7 January





Threats to arrest the parents of suspected

militants by the Rivers State Governor are

denounced by an NGO group (the Human

Rights Writers Association of Nigeria).









Armed clashes/violent incidents:

Militants in Delta state blow up a water

2008 6 January

disposal pipeline and the Benyiboye flow

station pipeline. No casualties are reported.









Political developments: Reports indicate

that the Senate will declare the Niger Delta

‗a disaster zone‘ as parts of attempts to

address the problems of violence and



2008 4 January

2008 4 January





MEND declares that it is extending its

operations to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State and

to Asaba, the capital of Delta State.









Political developments: The governor of

Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, calls on

militants and cultists to surrender their

arms or ‗be crushed‘. In a visit to Tom



2008 3 January





The Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) vows to cripple oil

exports from the Niger delta region by

providing fighters and weapons, including









Armed clashes/violent incidents:

Gunmen acting under the instruction of cult

leader Tom Ateke storm the Garden City in

2008 1 January Port Harcourt and kill 16 people, including

seven police officers. Two police stations

and the Presidential Hotel, owned by the

state government, are also attacked.









Armed clashes/violent incidents: An

ExxonMobil vessel is attacked by armed

men on Bonny River and three crew

2007 27 December members are injured.









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Three

policemen are killed as 30 armed youths

attack Akinima Divisional Police

Headquarters in Ahoada West Local



2007 25 December

2007 25 December





Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) calls a 24-hour

ceasefire for Christmas.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: Two

people are killed as militants attack a

NNPC jetty near Okrika, Rivers State. A

vessel carrying 18 Filipinos is also









The Joint Task Force (JTF) frees the

father of the deputy governor of Bayelsa

State during a raid a militant camp. 11

militants are arrested.









Chief Edwin Clark, an Ijaw leader,

condemns the increase in kidnappings of

Ijaws by militant youths.







2007 19 December





Political developments: President Umaru

Yar‘Adua says that he is in support of the

US Africom and that it will function under

the auspices of the African Union.









Peace process: The Ijaw Youth Leaders

Forum withdraws from negotiations with

the Federal government and asks Senator

David Brigidi to stop mediating. The forum









Both the Movement for the Emancipation

of the Niger Delta (MEND) and the Ijaw

Youth Council (IYC) denounce the

government‘s approach to peace talks as

Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

Three militant groups threaten attacks over

the arrest of former Delta State governor

2007 18 December James Ibori. The groups are: the Niger

Delta Survival Front, the Olosa Survival

Force for Niger Delta and the Niger Delta

Gomora. James Ibori was arrested for

corruption the previous week and the Joint









Energy: Warri refinery is reportedly to be

reopened despite previous incidents of

sabotage of pipelines leading to the site.

2007 18 December









Peace process: The Bayelsa State

government hands over ten speedboats to

militant leaders as part of a peace deal.

2007 17 December









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

Commander Samuel Ebiye resigns from

the Grand Alliance of Niger Delta (GAND).

2007 16 December The group has not been particularly active.









Armed forces: The Nigerian navy

launches a one-week exercise with 14

ships and two helicopters to patrol its

2007 12 December coastal waters. The aim of the exercise is

to strengthen coastal control and hamper

militancy.

Armed forces: The Nigerian navy

launches a one-week exercise with 14

ships and two helicopters to patrol its

2007 12 December coastal waters. The aim of the exercise is

to strengthen coastal control and hamper

militancy.









Abductions/Kidnappings: Chief Simon

Ebebi, father of the deputy governor of

Bayelsa State, is kidnapped less than

2007 11 December three days after the signing of a truce

between militant groups and the federal

government.









Political developments: Minister of

Defence Alhaji Mahmud Yayale says that

the Army should apply its training to stop

2007 8 December militancy in the Niger Delta.









Peace process: A peace deal is signed

between the federal government and a

number of militant groups in Yenagoa,

2007 7 December Bayelsa State. Vice President Goodluck

Jonathan signs on behalf of the

government, while the Ijaw Youth Council

(IYC) represents militant groups. However,

observers question the influence of the IYC









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: A

Nigerian crew member is killed as a vessel

belonging to Rangk Nigeria Limited is

attacked by about eight militants near









Security operations: Governor Rotimi

2007 6 December Amaechi of Rivers State asks the Nigerian

Navy to increase patrols in Rivers State.

2007 6 December









Borders and boundary issues: Alhaji

Sadeeq Diggi, head of the National

Boundary Commission, says that it will be

difficult to renege on the handover of the









Borders and boundary issues:

Cameroonian Vice-Prime Minister Amadou

Ali reportedly ‗exonerates‘ Nigeria for

2007 5 December responsibility in the attack that led to the

deaths of 21 Cameroonian soldiers in

November.









Law enforcement: The Federal High

Court refuses bail to the five persons

accused of planning terrorist acts in

2007 2 December Nigeria as ‗al-Qaeda‘ operatives.









Security operations: A House of

Representatives spokesperson states that

the Naira 444 billion allocated for security

in the Niger Delta will be spent on security









The Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admiral

Ganiyu Adekeye, says that the navy is

2007 27 November

reorganising to focus on operating in the

creeks of Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa States









Abductions/Kidnappings: A purported

faction of the Movement for the

Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)

reportedly attempts to abduct a PDP

Armed clashes/Violent incidents: The

Nigerian navy claims to have sunk barges

used by militants for oil bunkering in Soku,

Rivers State. The number of casualties









Political developments: US Chairman of

2007 26 November Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen

says that AFRICOM is currently based in

Europe and that the location of the









Law enforcement: Interior Minister

Godwin Abbe says that the UK is to assist

with reforming the Nigerian police.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: Four

navy patrol boats are attacked by militants

near Soku, Rivers State. The navy states

that it succeeded in destroying a number of



2007 25 November





Insurgency/Non-state armed

groups: Delta State Governor Emmanuel

Uduaghan reportedly convinces the Niger

Delta Survival Front not to shut down the









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

Comrade Oyinfie Jonjon, former deputy

leader of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC),

2007 23 November says that Ijaw youths want the federal

government to withdraw the Joint Task

Force (JTF) from the Niger Delta as the

presence of the soldiers purportedly

fosters more unrest.

Border and boundary issues: The

Senate declares the handover of Bakassi

unconstitutional and asks the Federal

2007 22 November government to halt all further handovers of

territory to Cameroon.









Insurgency/Non-state armed

groups: Ateke Tom, leader of the Niger

Delta Vigilantes (NDV), calls on militants

2007 21 November belonging to the Movement for the

Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)

not to destroy oil infrastructure to give the

federal government time to implement

development plans.









Border and boundary issues: The

Liberators of Southern Cameroon, a group

that claims to be active in southern

Bakassi, says that it was responsible for









Security operations: Petroleum Minister

Odein Ajumogobia says that the N444

billion earmarked for security in the Niger

Delta is not to be used for the import of



2007 20 November





Human rights: Human Rights Watch call

for an investigation of the more than 8,000

‗armed robbers‘ that have been killed by

police since 2000. Human Rights Watch









Political developments: The National

Council of State supports President

Yar‘Adua‘s rejection of a possible

American base in Nigeria.

Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

Angolan President Eduardo Dos

Santos meets Nigerian President Umaru

Yar'Adua in Riyadh and says that Angola



2007 18 November





Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

Owelle Dennis Otuaro, acting president of

the Federated Niger-Delta Ijaw

Communities (FNDIC), says that FNDIC









Border and boundary issues:

Nigeria and Cameroon are to form a joint

commission to investigate the killing of 21

2007 16 November Cameroonian soldiers on the Bakassi

peninsula, which both Nigeria and

Cameroon have claimed, but which was

ceded to Cameroon in 2006.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: A

pipeline feeding Shell‘s Forcados terminal

in Delta State is sabotaged. The

Movement for the Emancipation of the









Political developments: US Deputy

2007 15 November Secretary of State John Negroponte says

that the US will support Nigeria‗s efforts to

‗stamp out criminality‘ in the Niger Delta.









A statement by Foreign Affairs Minister Ojo

Maduekwe asserts that Nigeria is

cooperating with the US and some

European countries to stem the theft of









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: The

Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) claims responsibility

2007 15 November for the attack on the Qua Iboe terminal on

12 November.

Armed clashes/Violent incidents: The

Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) claims responsibility

2007 15 November for the attack on the Qua Iboe terminal on

12 November.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: 20

Cameroonian soldiers are killed as their

boat is ambushed. Cameroon says that the

2007 13 November attackers carried Nigerian military uniforms

while Nigeria blames militants who

attacked the Qua Iboe terminal the day

before.









Armed clashes/Violent

incidents: Shooting is reported at the

ExxonMobil Qua Iboe terminal in Akwa

2007 12 November Ibom State in a reported militant attack. A

military contingent returns fire and a

woman is killed in the cross-fire.









Political developments: The World Bank

lists Nigeria as a ‘fragile‘ state in its 2007

report on fragile states.

2007 10 November









Political developments: Deputy Senate

President Chief Ike Ekweremadu says that

he would like closer cooperation with

China.









Human rights: The charges of espionage

against US-Nigerian NGO worker Judith

Asuni have been dropped following

intervention by Attorney-General Michael

Insurgency/Non-state armed groups: A

2007 8 November conference on Niger Delta Peace

Initiatives in Abuja is attended by Mujahid

Dokubo-Asari of the Niger Delta People's









In a separate interview Dokubo-Asari

denies involvement in kidnappings and

blames the Movement for the

Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).









Security operations: Major Omale

Ochagwuba, spokesperson for the Joint

Task Force, says that the military will begin

a new strategy of launching ‗pre-emptive‘









Political developments: The Senate

considers introducing amendments to

existing legislation to force oil companies

2007 7 November to clean up oil spills. Oil spills have been a

source of conflict between oil companies

and local communities who claim they are

not compensated for damages.









Political developments: Senators

returning from a tour of the Niger Delta

express dissatisfaction over the low level

2007 5 November of development compared to the revenue

allocated to the area.









Security operations: Four militants are

detained as the Joint Task Force (JTF)

storm a camp at Egbema-Ngalabiri in

2007 4 November Rivers State. Assault rifles and explosives

are also recovered in the raid.

Security operations: Four militants are

detained as the Joint Task Force (JTF)

storm a camp at Egbema-Ngalabiri in

2007 4 November Rivers State. Assault rifles and explosives

are also recovered in the raid.









Law enforcement: 40 suspected oil

bunkerers are arrested in Ogun State

along with 30 tanker trucks.

2007 2 November









Political developments: Nigeria

reportedly supports the establishment of a

US African Command (AFRICOM) in

2007 1 November Stuttgart rather than on the African

continent.









Abductions/Kidnappings: Six hostages

held by the Movement for the

Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)

2007 31 October are released, no ransom is reportedly paid.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: One

soldier is dead and five are injured as

MEND operatives attack the NNS Obula

that had been deployed to protect the EA









Political developments: The federal High

2007 30 October Court grants bail to US NGO worker Judith

Asuni on the condition that she does not

go to the Niger Delta again.

2007 30 October









The UN Secretariat and the UNDP have

reportedly been asked by the federal

government to assist with a Niger Delta

summit planned to be held in the US.









Abductions/Kidnappings: Six expatriate

oil workers are kidnapped from the FPSO

Mystras off the coast of Rivers State by

2007 26 October armed gunmen in speedboats. The

Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) claims responsibility.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: Two

children of a Nigerian production

superintendent working for Total are

kidnapped by six armed men in Port



2007 22 October





The seven oil workers are released by their

captors.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: Seven

oil workers, four expatriates among them,

are kidnapped from two supply vessels off

2007 20 October Bayelsa State. The Jomo Gbomo faction of

MEND claims responsibility, but other

sources say that youths from a local

community are responsible.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups: A

purported spokesman for MEND claims in

an email that the group will carry out bomb

attacks outside the Delta region if the



2007 18 October

2007 18 October





Political developments: The Delta State

chapter of the People‘s Democratic Party

(PDP) says that it opposes the nomination

of Chief Godsday Orubebe as minister for









Political developments: India is to

contribute USD 900 million to a bilateral

cooperation pact with Nigeria that was

signed by Indian PM Manmohan Singh and



2007 17 October





Elections: Former Independent National

Electoral Commission Chairman Maurice

Iwu says that the commission performed

well in relation to the April elections taking









Energy: Indian media report that India

wants to obtain more oil concession blocks

in Nigeria. Currently 12 per cent of Indian

2007 16 October imports are sourced from Nigeria.









Human rights: The Nigerian government

says that a report by Human Rights Watch

(HRW) was unfair.









The US Embassy in Abuja says that it is

concerned over the continued detention

Judith Asuna, a US-Nigerian NGO worker,

on espionage charges.









2007 12 October

Political developments: Deputy Senate

2007 12 October President Ike Ekweremadu says that a

group of senators are to tour the Niger

Delta to assess the main issues.









Energy: The Otorongo pipeline catches

fire, reportedly due to oil theft.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups: An

unnamed insurgent group threatens to

launch attacks in Port Harcourt according

to reports in the Nigerian media.









UN activities/security: The government

calls on the UN to persuade its member

2007 9 October

states to assist the Niger Delta area

through capacity building and the provision









Armed clashes/violent incidents: A

leader of the Peoples Democratic Party

(PDP) in Delta State and chairman of the

Community Development Committee



2007 8 October





Political developments: Vice President

Goodluck Jonathan asks a team from the

UN for assistance with capacity-building

and employment to solve the problems in









Political developments: Vice President

Goodluck Jonathan asks NGOs to assist

with the development of the Niger Delta

2007 5 October during a visit by NGO action aid.

Political developments: The Supreme

Court rules that Governor Celestine

Omehia of Rivers State was not the rightful

2007 5 October candidate of the PDP in elections and that

he shall be replaced by Rotimi Amaechi as

governor. President Yar‘Adua says that the

decision must be respected.









Security operations: The Nigerian military

announces that it has seized 12 trucks

used to transport stolen crude oil at the

Ologbo and Oghara junction of the Benin-



2007 1 October





Political developments: In a speech

marking the 47th independence

anniversary, President Umaru Musa

Yar‘Adua vowed to entrench absolute









Armed clashes/violent incidents: A man

is shot and killed as a group of youths

clash with two Joint Task Force (JTF)

soldiers who are escorting officials for Nest









Abductions/Kidnappings: Saipem is

2007 30 September reportedly negotiating over the release of

two foreign oil workers who were abducted

during an attack on a Saipem facility in









Political developments: President

Yar‘Adua says that the Federal

Government will re-establish security in the

Niger Delta.

Armed clashes/violent incidents: A

Colombian national is killed during an

attack on the Saipem facility in

2007 28 September Rivers State. A Filipino and a Colombian

national are kidnapped. The Movement for

the Emancipation of the Niger Delta

(MEND) denies responsibility and blames

elements connected with the Army.









Political developments: The State

Security Service has detained an American

national and two Germans for filming

2007 27 September militants in the Niger Delta without

permission and intending to harm the

‗national interest‘ of Nigeria. The American

national, Dr Judith Burdin Asuni, runs a

well-known NGO, Academic Associates









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Media

report that the leader of a local cultist

group in Ughelli, Delta State, has been

2007 25 September beheaded by youths and two of his cadres

killed. The incident follows the abduction

and killing of a local pastor on 26 August.









Political developments: Chris Ekiyor,

president of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC),

denies that Henry Okah was seeking to

2007 25 September buy arms and adds that MEND is an

armed faction of the IYC, which is currently

negotiating with the federal government.









Security operations: Security is

heightened around oil company facilities

following MEND‘s announcement of

2007 24 September renewed attacks.

Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) announces a halt to

its ceasefire and vows to target oil facilities.









The abandonment of the ceasefire follows

the arrest of Henry Okah in Angola on 3

September. The Nigerian government

claims that Henry Okrah, an Ijaw based in



2007 23 September





MEND denies this, but states that Okah

was a silent party who attended

negotiations with the government.









A MEND faction based in Bayelsa State

however confirms that Okah is Jomo

Gbomo.









Political developments: President

Yar‘Adua orders an investigation of cultist

ties with local politicians following

2007 19 September allegations that the Deputy Governor of

Rivers State is linked to the cult groups

that fought in Port Harcourt in August.









Security operations: Police in Umoahia

Abia State intercept a car with weapons

and explosives bound for the Niger Delta.







2007 14 September

2007 14 September





Political developments: Vice president

Goodluck Jonathan says that the

government will intensify talks with ethnic

minorities in the Niger Delta to resolve the









Political developments: Nigerian

President Umar Yar'Adua supports

regional measures to control the illegal

trafficking of arms in West Africa.



2007 11 September





Abductions/Kidnappings: Two of the

kidnapped PDP politicians from Ondo

State have been released by the

kidnappers.









Abductions/Kidnappings: Two of the

kidnapped PDP politicians are released in

Ondo State. The militants claim to belong

2007 11 September to the Movement of the Emancipation of

Niger Delta (MEND) and demand Naira

500 million for the release of the remaining

nine politicians.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

Alhaji Mujahid Asari-Dokubo of the Niger

Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF)

denies involvement in the writing of a letter



2007 10 September





Security operations: Military sources say

that they have uncovered the hiding place

for hostage-takers on the Ogbogoro River.









Abductions/Kidnappings: 11 People's

Democratic Party politicians are kidnapped

by gunmen at a meeting in Ese-Odo

council area of Ondo State. The gunmen



2007 9 September

2007 9 September





Armed clashes/Violent incidents: The

body of a kidnapped expatriate is found

floating on the Ogbogoro River in the Obio

Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: Six

local community leaders are shot dead by

armed youths in Ogbogoro, Obio/Akpor

2007 6 September Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The attack was reportedly a reprisal for

handing over local youths to the

government Joint Task Force (JTF).





2007 3 September





Security operations: The Delta State

government has established pipeline

surveillance teams to limit the incidence of

sabotage in the creeks.









The curfew in Port Harcourt is extended

indefinitely.









2007 2 September





In a television interview, President Umaru

Yar‘Adua says that emergency powers for

him in the energy sector are being drafted

and that they include suspending the rights









Yar‘Adua says that the government has

met with militant leaders and is seeking a

truce and that it has a two-pronged

development and security strategy for the

Security operations: The Rivers State

government plans to demolish Port

Harcourt slums close to the river to stamp

2007 28 August out cultism and militancy in the city.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: Delta

State imposes a curfew in Ekpao, Uvwie

Local Government Area due to political

disagreement among town leaders.



2007 27 August





Insurgency/Non-state armed groups: A

group claiming to represent the Movement

for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta

(MEND) accuses the Nigerian Army of









Political developments: Bayelsa State

Governor Timiprie Silva asks for the

Nigerian Navy to patrol riverine areas of

the state to enhance security.



2007 26 August





Rivers State Governor Celestine Omehia

says that the situation in Port Harcourt is

now calm.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: The

one-week dusk-till-dawn curfew in Port

Harcourt is extended for another week.

2007 23 August

Armed clashes/Violent incidents: 12

people are killed in an inter-communal

attack at Abele, Remuekpe community in

2007 22 August Emuoha Local Government Area, Rivers

State.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: A

former accountant general of Abia State is

shot dead in his home in London.







2007 21 August





34 people have been arrested over the

violence in Port Harcourt.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents:

Gbomo Jomo, a spokesperson for the

Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND), says that most of the









The Niger Delta Civil Society Coalition

(NDCSC) accuses former Rivers State

2007 20 August

governor Peter Odili of being mastermind

behind the violence in Port Harcourt.









Governor Celestine Omehia says that the

curfew imposed on Port Harcourt the

previous week will be lifted soon; Omehia

also says that federal troops will stay in









Political developments: The Oba of

Benin, a traditional ruler, calls on the

federal government to solve the Niger

2007 19 August Delta unrest.

Political developments: The Oba of

Benin, a traditional ruler, calls on the

federal government to solve the Niger

2007 19 August Delta unrest.









Security operations: A dusk-to-dawn

curfew is imposed on Rivers State for a

week.







2007 17 August





Armed clashes/Violent incidents:

Gunshots are heard in Port Harcourt; 22

militants are reportedly arrested by security

forces.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents:

Security forces fire a rocket at a hotel in

Port Harcourt where militant leader

Soboma George of ‗The Outlaws‘ is



2007 16 August





Rivers State Governor Celestine Omehia

says that normalcy is back to Port Harcourt.









Security operations: The military in Port

Harcourt erects roadblocks. Media report

that at least 15 people have been killed

since 8 August.



2007 15 August





Political developments: The Petroleum

and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association

of Nigeria (Pengassan) threatens to

withdraw from the Niger Delta if the

Freedom of press: The head of news for

a Port Harcourt radio station is arrested

after guests on a talk show call for a state

of emergency.



2007 14 August





Minister of Information John Odey says

that the Federal government will intervene

in the violence in Port Harcourt.









Insurgency/Non-state armed

groups: The Movement for the

Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)

threatens to restart attacks on oil



2007 14 August





Armed clashes/Violent incidents: A

member of the Rivers State House of

Assembly and four alleged cultists are

arrested over the fighting between cult









Armed clashes/Violent

incidents: Sporadic gunfire is reported in

the Rumukrushi Area of Port Harcourt.







2007 13 August





A Syrian hostage dies of hypertension in

Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, moments after

being released by his abductors due to his

poor health situation.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: 15

people die in fighting between cultists in

Port Harcourt; many of the fatalities stem

2007 12 August from an attack on a NNPC petrol station in

the centre of the city.

Security operations: A military

spokesman says that the military ‗will not

use excessive force‘ to deal with the

2007 10 August ongoing fighting between rival cult groups

in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.









Armed clashes/Violent

incidents: Fighting continues between

rival cult groups in Port Harcourt and

2007 9 August militants reportedly attack people near

Trans Amadi, Slaughter and Woji Road.

Media reports at least two verified deaths.









Abductions/Kidnappings: Six Russian

hostages that were kidnapped two months

earlier are released; the Russian Ministry

of Foreign Affairs claims that no ransom



2007 8 August





The 11-year-old son of a female member

of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly is

kidnapped.









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: Three

bystanders are killed as rival ‗cult groups‘

exchange fire in Port Harcourt, Rivers

State.









Political developments: Comrade

2007 6 August Maurice Obanya of the Niger Delta Youth

Council says that the new state

governments have succeeded in ‗fostering

2007 6 August









Armed clashes/Violent

incidents: Fighting between rival cult

groups in Port Harcourt start.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

Gabriel Asabuja, second-in-command of

the Niger Delta People‘s Volunteer Force

2007 5 August (NDPVF), urges state governors to

establish a corps of vigilantes to curb

criminality in the Niger Delta and

condemns to donation of goods to former

militants.









Abductions/Kidnappings: More than 600

protesters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State,

demand that kidnappers release the

2007 3 August mother of the speaker of the Bayelsa State

House of Assembly who was kidnapped

the previous week.









Political developments: President Umaru

Yar'Adua sets up a committee to manage

the Excess Crude proceeds account that

2007 1 August has a balance of USD 9,6 billion.









2007 August





Abductions/Kidnappings: An expatriate

employee of oil company Total is

kidnapped by armed men in Port Harcourt,

2007 31 July Rivers State.

Abductions/Kidnappings: Seven heavily

armed gunmen abduct a Pakistani

construction manager in southern Nigeria

2007 31 July and demand a ransom. The gunmen,

dressed in red, arrived by boat at a road

construction site run by Italian firm Gitto

near Bodo community in the Ogoni area of

Rivers state. Bodo has been plagued by









Abductions/Kidnappings: Suspected

ransom-seekers abduct the mother of a

Bayelsa State senior legislator from her

2007 25 July residence. The abduction follows an

upsurge in abductions of powerful officials

in the Niger delta.









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Two oil

pipelines belonging to Shell are attacked

by the Movement for the Emancipation of

2007 21 July the Niger Delta (MEND).









Insurgency: A Trans-Niger oil pipeline

feeding the Shell Bonny export terminal is

currently burning in six separate locations.

2007 17 July The Royal Dutch Shell discovered the fires

in early June and is negotiating access to

the sites with local communities in the

Ogoni area –so far access has been

denied. The Movement for the Survival of









Kidnappings/disappearances/abduction

s:A three-year-old British girl abducted in

southern Nigeria four days ago is reunited

2007 9 July with her family after being freed by her

kidnappers.

Kidnappings/disappearances/abduction

s:A three-year-old British girl abducted in

southern Nigeria four days ago is reunited

2007 9 July with her family after being freed by her

kidnappers.









Kidnappings/disappearances/abduction

s: Kidnappers who abducted a three-year-

old British girl in Nigeria threaten to kill her

unless her father agrees to take her place.



2007 6 July





President of Nigeria Umaru Yar'Adua

appeals for the immediate release of the

little girl and orders the Nigerian security

services to ensure that Margaret Hill is









Political developments: The Ijaw people

of the Niger Delta, Nigeria's main oil and

gas basin, praises for the Federal

2007 29 June Government for releasing Mujahid Dokubo-

Asari, leader of the Niger Delta Peoples

Volunteer Force (NDPVF), but call for the

immediate and unconditional release of all

other imprisoned Niger Delta rights









Kidnappings/Disappearances/Abduction

s: Two Indian hostages taken at gunpoint

in Niger Delta are released after ten days

in captivity. The two men, abducted near



2007 25 June





Four foreign hostages are freed in after

spending several weeks in captivity. More

than 100 foreigners have been taken

hostage in the Niger Delta area in the past









Kidnappings/Disappearances/Abduction

s: Four foreign hostages employed by oil

services giant Schlumberger are released

2007 23 June unharmed after more than three weeks in

captivity. The men, from Britain, France,

the Netherlands and Pakistan, were

abducted on 1 June from the company's

residential compound in Port Harcourt by

Kidnappings/Disappearances/Abduction

s: Four foreign hostages employed by oil

services giant Schlumberger are released

2007 23 June unharmed after more than three weeks in

captivity. The men, from Britain, France,

the Netherlands and Pakistan, were

abducted on 1 June from the company's

residential compound in Port Harcourt by









Armed clashes/Violent

incidents: Nigerian military forces

dislodge militants occupying the Italian-

owned ENI Ogbainbiri oilfield flow station in



2007 21 June





Gunmen seized the flow station on 17

June, claiming to hold 27 people hostage

(including 11 soldiers); Nigerian forces

found only nine oil workers and one soldier









Insurgency: Gunmen overrun the

Ogbainbiri oilfield station (Bayelsa state)

operated by Italy‘s ENI, holding 24 local

2007 17 June workers hostage at the facility. It is unclear

if anyone is killed or injured in the attack,

or whether oil production has been

stopped – it is routine practice to shut

down a facility when it is attacked.









Abductions/Kidnappings/Disappearance

s: Nigerian militants release ten Indian

hostages who were abducted on 01 June

2007 16 June from their residential compound in Port

Harcourt. The hostages included at least

three senior managers of Indonesian

chemical company Indorama and their

family members. The move follows the









Abductions/Kidnappings/Disappearance

s: Gunmen kidnap two Lebanese

construction workers for Italian firm

2007 15 June Stabilini in the western part of the Delta

state. The abductees are taken away into

the creeks by speedboats, and are

pursued by the joint task force responsible

for security in the area.

Political developments: Nigerian militant

leader Mujahid Dokubo-Asari holds an

interview hours after his release on bail, in

2007 15 June which he distances himself from the recent

surge in Delta region hostage-taking and

violence. Asari, however, says he is not

opposed to disrupting the oil industry, and

hopes to reunite splintered armed groups









Political developments: A Nigerian court

frees on bail former militia leader Mujahid

Dokubo-Asari, meeting persistent

2007 14 June demands by rebel armed groups. The

release of Asari –on trial for high treason-

comes after rebel groups in the delta have

freed hostages and declared a truce in

order to initiate a dialogue with the newly









Armed clashes/Violent

incidents: Nigerian troops kill eight

suspected militants who attacked the

2007 13 June governmental troops guarding an Agip flow

station at Ogbainbiri. Oil output from the

Ogbainbiri field, which feeds the Brass

export terminal also in Bayelsa state, is

unaffected. The incident occurs after









Political developments: The Supreme

Court of Nigeria rejects a bail application

by ex-militia leader Mujahid Dokubo-Asari,

who has been imprisoned for 20 months









In a statement on its website, the British

Foreign Office warns its nationals to leave

2007 8 June

Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states shortly

after the decision of the Supreme Court of

Abductions/Kidnappings/Disappearance

s: A Lebanese shipyard services manager

from Modant Marine is abducted by a

group of gunmen in Port Harcourt, taking









Political developments: In a meeting with

Nigerian President Umaru Yar‘Adua, newly

elected Nigerian state governors from the

2007 5 June Niger Delta call for the release of a

detained militant leader, Mujahid Dokubo-

Asari, in an effort to ease tensions in the

region. Dokubo-Asari has been on trial for

treason since September 2005, and was









Abductions/Kidnappings/Disappearance

s: The Foreign Minister of the Russian

Federation, Sergei Lavrov, says the

2007 4 June Nigerian Ambassador in Moscow has been

summoned for talks concerning the recent

abduction of six Russian workers in

Nigeria. On 03 June, a group of gunmen

kidnapped the men from the residential









Abductions/Violent incidents: Nigerian

gunmen abduct six foreign staff of United

Company RUSAL after blowing up their

2007 3 June apartment with explosives in the

southeastern town of Ikot Abasi, according

to security sources. The abducted men

include three Russians and two South

Africans, and their Nigerian driver is killed









Abductions/Kidnappings/Disappearance

s: Gunmen dressed as riot police abduct

foreign workers from the residential

compound of oil services giant









In separate developments, six foreign

workers seized from a Nigerian oil facility

operated by US energy giant Chevron on

2007 2 June 01 May are all freed. The Movement for

2007 2 June









Political developments: The Movement

for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta

(MEND) says it would halt attacks on oil

facilities for a month to foster a









Abductions/Kidnappings/Disappearance

s: Gunmen armed with dynamite and

heavy machineguns kidnap at least three

senior managers of Indonesian chemical



2007 1 June





Insurgency: K-Dere Community elders

expel the youth protesters occupying the

Bomu pipeline and reopen valves, thus

resuming oil transit to the Bonny crude



2007 June





Insurgency: A group of young protesters

from the K-Dere community sabotage the

Bomu export pipeline hub and halt 150,000

2007 30 May barrels per day of oil production. The

youths who were allegedly promised

(uncomfirmed) contracts worth 50 million

naira ($393,000) are angry because they

claim the Royal Dutch Shell has failed to









Political developments: Alhaji Umaru

Musa Yar'Adua takes office as President of

Nigeria, although international observers

say the poll that brought the 56-year-old









Outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo

says he has ‗great confidence‘ in

Yar'Adua's ability to lead Nigeria ‗to the

satisfaction of all Nigerians‘ adding that ‗I

Insurgency: Militants release a Polish

engineer seized on 24 May in the Niger

Delta, according to security sources.

2007 29 May Twenty-three other foreigners are still









Armed clashes/Violent incidents: Gun

battles between rival gangs in Nigeria‘s oil-

producing Rivers State kills fifteen people.

The violent exchanges of fire take place in









Political developments: A faction of the

MEND frees twelve foreign hostages in

Bayelsa state (five Americans, three

Britons, two Indians and two others

–possibly South African and Filipino) as a

prelude to peace talks with the incoming

government of President Umaru Yar‘Adua.

According to the Bayelsa state









Abductions/Kidnappings/Disappearance

s: Six gunmen abduct a Polish engineer

near the oil city of Warri in the Niger Delta.

The Polish man is the chief engineer for a



2007 25 May





Abductions/Kidnappings/Disappearance

s: Heavily armed gunmen in two

speedboats abduct nine expatriate oil

workers (three Americans, four Britons, a









Armed clashes/Violent

incidents: Unidentified gunmen in three

vehicles open fire on a crowd at the Mile

2007 24 May One bus station in Port Harcourt, killing

two people and seriously injuring another

thirteen. The reasons behind this act of

terrorism are unclear; some sources link

the even to the recent electoral victory of

Abductions/Kidnappings/Disappearance

s: Four gunmen abduct a Lebanese

worker employed by an oil servicing

2007 22 May company in Nigeria's western delta oil city

of Warri. The suspected MEND militants

also seize the Lebanese man‘s car.









Insurgency: A group of unidentified

militants trespass on an oil facility operated

by France‘s Total, and sabotage a disused

2007 21 May oil well – causing a minor spill with no

impact on oil production. There are no

injuries or casualties related to this attack.









Abductions/Kidnappings/Disappearance

s: Three Indian petrochemical workers

employed by Indorama are abducted by a

2007 19 May group of gunmen from their residence in

Nigeria‘s oil capital Port Harcourt. The

gunmen initially seize ten workers, but a

subsequent exchange of fire with military

forces leads to the rescue of seven. A









Security Operations: The United States is

to boost its naval presence along the

lawless Gulf of Guinea to combat

2007 19 May terrorism, illegal migration and drug

trafficking and to secure US oil supplies,

says Vice-Admiral John Stufflebeem.

The US military will launch a separate

Africa Command (AFRICOM) in October,









Political developments: President

Yar‘Adua visits Yenagoa, the capital of

Bayelsa State, in his first visit to the Delta

2007 11 May region since his election to the presidency

and holds meetings with traditional rulers

and other stakeholders. The President also

called on violence in the Delta to stop and

warned that it threatened Nigeria‘s status

Political developments: President

Yar‘Adua visits Yenagoa, the capital of

Bayelsa State, in his first visit to the Delta

2007 11 May region since his election to the presidency

and holds meetings with traditional rulers

and other stakeholders. The President also

called on violence in the Delta to stop and

warned that it threatened Nigeria‘s status









Political developments: The Movement

for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta

(MEND) threatens to boycott a proposed

2007 9 May peace summit for the region unless the

government follows through on previous

agreements, including building

infrastructure and protecting the

environment.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) stages a triple bomb

2007 8 May attack on the main pipeline infrastructure

to an export terminal operated by Italian oil

group Eni. The most damaging attack

launched since the Presidential elections, it

halts up to 150,000 barrels per day of









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: A Belarusian woman, Irina Ekpo, is

abducted by suspected militants during the

2007 6 May night on the Airforce Base Link road on her

way back from work.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: A British citizen is taken hostage in the

night between Friday and Saturday by a

2007 5 May group of gunmen in the Delta region.

Political developments: Hundreds of

women in Bayelsa State protest against

the engagement of youths and women in

2007 5 May political violence in the Delta region and

call on politicians to promote peace.









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: A group of 12 people, including three

workers of South Korea's Daewoo

Engineering and Construction Co. are

kidnapped by unidentified insurgents at a

construction site in Rivers State in the

Niger Delta area, the Korean Foreign

Ministry said. The workers were taken



2007 3 May





In a separate development, eight foreign

workers abducted overnight from an Italian-

run oil vessel (including an Australian, a

Briton, two Croats, two Poles and a

Romanian) are released, MEND militants

say. A Dutchman taken hostage from a

Warri bar is still being held captive.









Law enforcement: The court in which

militant leader Henry Okah will be tried

decides that his trial will be held in secret

2007 2 May as requested by the government. Lawyers

for Mr Okah say that they will appeal the

decision. An open trial could be politically

explosive, given the collaboration between

militants, politicians and the security forces









Kidnappings/Abductions/Disappearance

s: Gunmen kidnap the mother of the newly

elected governor of the Rivers State,

2007 1 May Celestine Omeiha. In a separate

development, up to six foreign oil workers

(including four Italians and one American)

are kidnapped by armed militants from an

oil industry vessel off the Nigerian coast in

Civil unrest: Militants apparently angry at

vote-rigging attack government buildings, a

police headquarters, and an electoral

2007 20 April office. Heavy gunfire and explosions were

being heard across the Bayelsa state

capital.









Political developments: Troops are

deployed in the capital of Bayelsa State

after a court quashes the election of its

2007 16 April governor and orders fresh elections,

stating that there was no evidence that the

14 April 2007 gubernatorial poll took place.

It is the tenth such ruling since the 2007

elections.









Civil unrest: Polling stations fail to open

on time and scuffles brake out at electoral

headquarters in Port Harcourt after news

2007 14 April spread of night attacks on police stations.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Gunmen in two speedboats abduct a

British oil worker in a pre-dawn raid on a

2007 31 March drilling rig 40 miles off the coast of Nigeria.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The federal government plans to

reassure the international community of its

2007 29 March commitment "to protecting foreign

nationals" in all parts of the country. The

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Joy

Ogwu says that criminal action by some in

the Niger Delta would not be allowed to

Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The federal government plans to

reassure the international community of its

2007 29 March commitment "to protecting foreign

nationals" in all parts of the country. The

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Joy

Ogwu says that criminal action by some in

the Niger Delta would not be allowed to









Armed clashes and violent incidents:

Gunmen shoot dead four policemen near

the city of Port Harcourt.

2007 27 March









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: A Lebanese national and an Indian

national, who worked for Nigerian

2007 25 March construction firm Setraco, are released.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Gunmen kidnap a Dutch security

manager who worked for the German

construction company Bilfinger Berger in



2007 23 March





In a separate incident, two construction

workers, one Lebanese and one Indian

were taken hostage at gunpoint from their

workplace near the city of Warri. The two









Armed clashes/violent incidents: The

European Union will not be sending

election monitors to the Niger Delta region

2007 22 March for the April polls because it is too

dangerous. The head of the European

Union election observer mission Max van

den Berg says that it would be

"irresponsible to send anyone". However,

Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: A Chinese spokesperson confirms that

two Chinese workers are kidnapped in

2007 20 March Nigeria.









Security operations: The military in

Nigeria, is under trained and under

equipped to enforce security in its lawless

2007 18 March Niger Delta region, a senior US defense

official says. Theresa Whelan, US Deputy

Assistant Secretary of Defense also

announces that the United States will be

offering Nigeria a number of joint training









Security operations: Security forces

raided a rundown district near Port

Harcourt looking for ransom-seeking

2007 17 March kidnappers and other criminals. A 100-

strong team of soldiers, police and secret

police raided scores of houses in the

village of Ogbakiri in the Emuoha local

government area of Rivers State and









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Two remaining Italians, Francesco

Arena and Cosma Russo, kidnapped from

2007 15 March the Agip oil export terminal in Bayelsa

State on 7 December, 2006, are released.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) claim responsibility.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups: A

militia leader whose release is demanded

by rebel groups in the Delta region has had

his application for bail refused until after



2007 13 March

2007 13 March





Asari's arrest in September 2005 was one

of the many factors that aggravated

tensions in the area where militant attacks

and kidnappings have become more and









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Civil

rights organisations say that armed gangs

in Port Harcourt are using violence to

2007 6 March influence the April 2007 elections.

According to the Institute for Human Rights

and Humanitarian Law in Port Harcourt,

recent attacks are an expression of a

people fighting hard to be heard as









Armed clashes/violent incidents: A

police guard is killed in an attempted

assassination of a state government

2007 3 March official in Port Harcourt.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Gunmen kidnap a Lebanese

construction worker at the Mbiama

2007 28 February community in Rivers State. He was

employed by a local firm called Alren

Construction Nigeria Ltd.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The two Italians working for the

construction company Impregilo who were

2007 26 February kidnapped near Port Harcourt, are

released.

Armed clashes/violent incidents:

Violence between two neighbouring

communities in Ogonil claims at least 12

2007 25 February lives. Over 200 houses were also burnt in

the violence between Bodo and Mogho in

the Gokana in Rivers state. The violence is

thought to have been triggered by the

discovery of the decapitated body of a 63-









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Gunmen shoot dead a Lebanese

engineer in Port Harcourt. In a separate

2007 23 February incident in the same city two Italians

working for the construction company

Impregilo are kidnapped.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Gunmen kidnap two Croatian and one

Montenegrin oil worker. They were both

2007 18 February employees of Hydrodrive Nigeria, an

offshore oil services company, in the Iwofe

district of Port Harcourt.









Natural resources/energy

security: Communities within the Rivers

State are urging the authorities not to let

2007 15 February the Shell Petroleum Development

Company carry out operations in the area

until a series of conditions are met. One of

their demands is that the oil giant should

pay compensation to the people affected









Natural resources/energy security: Over

5,000 indigenes of over 40 communities in

the Gbaramatu kingdom of the Delta State

carry out a peaceful demonstration against



2007 13 February

2007 13 February





Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Kidnappers release all 24 Filipino crew

members who were captured when their

cargo ship belonging to German line Baco-









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Five

people are shot dead in a botched robbery

attempt in the city of Port Harcourt. The

2007 9 February police pre-empt the robbery and kill two of

the attackers. The thieves kill a civilian and

two naval personnel as they escape by

speedboat. The target for the attack was

the First Atlantic bank.









Abductions, kidnappings and

disappearances: Gunmen in southern

Nigeria kidnap a Philippino working as

subcontractor for Shell, at least one



2007 7 February





A French national is abducted by armed

gunmen in Port Harcourt. The man

kidnapped worked for Total Oil Group

under a local contract.









Kidnappings/Disappearances: South

Korean officials meet gunmen who

kidnapped South Korean workers in

Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta and



2007 12 January





Later the same day, MEND freed the nine

South Koreans and one Nigerian

abducted. Freedom was reportedly

secured by the Bayelsa State Government.

Law enforcement/Security Operations:

Delta State Police Command says it

recovered 305 rifles and shot guns from

2007 10 January criminals and arrested 108 armed bandits.









Kidnappings/Disappearances: The

Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) says it has seized

more than USD 500,000 in cash sent to

rescue the release of kidnapped Italian

2007 4 January Agip oil workers. The group demands the

release of four people in jail, including a

regional separatist leader.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) says in an email to the

media that it has planted explosives in two



2006 23 December





A car bomb explodes beside the newly

built headquarters of the Rivers State

government in Port Harcourt. MEND

claims responsibility for the attack and









Armed clashes/violent incidents: In

Rivers State armed men attack

installations operated by French oil

company Total and kill 3 policemen in the



2006 21 December





In addition, Royal Dutch Shell begins

evacuating about 400 staff dependants

from Port Harcourt, Warri Island and

Bonny Island after militants planted car

Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The Movement for the Emancipation of

the Niger Delta (MEND), the militant group

2006 20 December holding 4 foreign oil workers hostage since

7 December, accuses Italian oil company

ENI of offering ransoms for the release of

their employees. MEND states they would

rather kill the hostages then release them









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) emails the media and

says it will detonate 3 car bombs



2006 18 December





Natural resources/energy security: Two

car bombs explode at the company

compounds of Royal Dutch Shell and Agip

in Port Harcourt. No casualties result from









Natural resources/energy security: A

Shell spokesman announces that at least 5

people are being held hostage inside the

2006 16 December oil platform invaded yesterday by gunmen.









Natural resources/energy security:

Gunmen invade an oil facility operated by

Royal Dutch Shell in Bayelsa State and are

2006 15 December holding an unknown number of soldiers

and oil workers hostage.

Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) says it intends to hold

2006 11 December its hostages until after Christmas but

guarantees the safety of the hostages.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The militant Movement for the

Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)

2006 8 December claims responsibility for yesterday‘s

kidnapping of 4 foreign oil workers. MEND

says it will release its hostages in

exchange for ‗hostages of Niger Delta

origin in Nigerian government hands‘. In









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups: A

group of 8 men attack an Agip pumping

station in Bayelsa State, killing one local

2006 7 December youth and taking four workers hostage

(three Italians and one Lebanese man).









Natural resources/energy security: A

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation

(NNPC) pipeline explodes, and a by-

2006 2 December standing child may have died during the

explosion. Eyewitnesses claim the

explosion is a result of actions by vandals

attempting to illegally siphon and sell

petroleum from the pipeline.









Natural resources/energy security: Ten

armed militants raid a deep water vessel

operated by Italian oil company Saipem

with 83 crew members aboard and

hold seven oil workers hostage (two Finns,

a Briton, an Italian, a Filipino, a Pole and a

Romanian).





2006 22 November

2006 22 November





Armed clashes/violent incidents: In a

military rescue attempt to free seven

Saipem oil workers being held hostage, the

British hostage, two militants and a naval

officer are killed.









Armed clashes/violent incidents: At

least four armed men storm the offices of

Nigerian aid group Academic Associated

2006 20 November Peaceworks in Port Harcourt and kill two

people, one of whom was a former militant.

Judith Asuni, head of the aid group, says

the attack is most likely a targeted

assassination of the former militant.









Natural resources/energy security:

Militants vacate the Agip oil pumping

station after holding the station under siege

2006 19 November since 6 November. They release all their

hostages, who are all in good health.









Armed clashes/violent incidents: Two

militants are killed when about 30 armed

militants clash with about 22 navy details at

2006 16 November a Royal Dutch Shell flow station at Nun

River in Bayelsa State. Two other

suspected militants are arrested.









Law enforcement: The federal

government charges two hostage-takers

from the Delta region, Gbokos Osvwo and

2006 15 November Asiagbe Lucky, with the kidnapping and

imprisonment of 7 oil workers in order to

extort money from the government. The

men extorted 35 million naira (about USD

270,000) as ransom from both the federal

Law enforcement: The federal

government charges two hostage-takers

from the Delta region, Gbokos Osvwo and

2006 15 November Asiagbe Lucky, with the kidnapping and

imprisonment of 7 oil workers in order to

extort money from the government. The

men extorted 35 million naira (about USD

270,000) as ransom from both the federal









Natural resources/energy security: The

attackers who seized the Clough Creek

flow station in Bayelsa State vacate the

2006 12 November facility, taking four speedboats and one

houseboat with them. A Bayelsa State

official says the attackers were

opportunistic youths from nearby villages.









Law enforcement: The Rivers State

Police arrest nine alleged pirates on the

Port Harcourt route to sea and confiscate

their arms.









2006 11 November





Natural resources/energy security: About

70 armed militants attack the Clough

Creek flow station owned by Agip in

Ekeremor, Bayelsa State. It is unclear who

is responsible for the attack and how many

workers are being held hostage.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Nine hostages from the Agip oil

production facility in Bayelsa State escape

2006 8 November and arrive in Port Harcourt. Armed

militants and local villagers seized the

facility on 6 November and still hold about

40 others hostage. Those who escaped

claim that about 70 militants invaded the

Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The British and American hostages

abducted on 2 November are released.

2006 7 November









Natural resources/energy security:

Armed militants and local villagers invade

an oil production facility operated by Italy‘s

2006 6 November Agip in the Tebidaba region of Bayelsa

State. About 48 Agip employees and

security staff are held inside the facility.

Bayelsa State environment commissioner

Victor Akenge describes the invaders and









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The government announces that the

American and British hostages kidnapped

2006 5 November three days ago will be released

tomorrow. A government spokesperson

says, ‗The community is demanding basic

amenities and is also hoping to get some

money from this, but we are trying to avoid









Military developments: The US consulate

in Lagos warns the Nigerian government

that a militant group in the Niger Delta may

2006 3 November have plans to conduct a campaign of

bombings, attacks on oil facilities and

kidnappings. The consulate writes, ‗The

attacks allegedly will be carried out

sometime during the first week of









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Armed men kidnap two employees of

Norway‘s Petroleum Geo-Services from a

2006 2 November survey ship off the coast of Bayelsa State.

Other people on the ship are left

unharmed. One of the hostages is

American and the other British.

2006 November





Natural resources/energy security:

Villagers occupying four oil pumping

stations extend their protest in hopes of

2006 27 October gaining contracts from Chevron and Royal

Dutch Shell. On Wednesday they had

agreed to leave on the condition that the oil

companies allocate them contracts to

supply food and speed boats to the oil









Natural resources/energy security:

Villagers who seized four oil pumping

stations agree to vacate the stations after

2006 26 October Western oil companies promise more

community benefits.









Natural resources/energy security:

Villagers invade and occupy four oil

pumping stations in Rivers State:

2006 25 October Robertkiri (owned by Chevron) and

Ekulama I, II and Belema (owned by Royal

Dutch Shell). The companies are forced to

close their stations.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

2006 21 October s: All seven Exxon Mobil oil workers

abducted on 3 October are released and

are in good health.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

2006 11 October s: All 60 hostages in Shell‘s Nun River

facility have now been released. Most

captives were released yesterday, and the

Natural resources/energy security:

Royal Dutch Shell announces the seizure

of its Nun River facility by armed villagers

from Oporoma community in Bayelsa









Arms procurement: Police in Rivers State

2006 10 October recover 51 rifles from a gun-running group

and arrest one man in connection to the

recovery.









Military developments: Senior security

officials meet to plan new strategies to

deter attacks in the delta region.









Natural resources/energy security:

Royal Dutch Shell shuts down the Ekulama

2006 6 October

I flow station and pulls out some of its staff

saying gun battles between government









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The kidnappers of 7 foreign oil workers

demand a ransom of USD 10 million for

the release of their hostages.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

2006 5 October MEND says it has decided not to instigate

any more clashes but to only respond to

military actions.









Population displacement: In an email to

the media, MEND claims the Nigerian

army has razed the village of Elem-Tombia

in Rivers State and that the group is

Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: All 25 Royal Dutch Shell contractor staff

members are released.









Armed clashes/violent incidents:

2006 4 October Governments forces clash with militants

from MEND near an oil pumping station in

the eastern part of the Niger Delta. MEND









Armed clashes/violent incidents: MEND

militants attack a houseboat, killing 2

soldiers and ‗about 6 naval ratings‘. In

addition, MEND says it is moving another









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Twenty-five staff members of a Royal

Dutch Shell contractor and seven

government soldiers are confirmed









About 18 militants invade a residential

compound for foreign oil workers in Eket,

2006 3 October

killing 2 guards and kidnapping 7

foreigners. The abducted men consist of









The Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND), though not involved in

yesterday‘s attack, says it has moved more

fighters into Rivers State in order to defend









Armed clashes/violent incidents: About

seventy militants in speed boats attack a

2006 2 October

Shell oil pumping station in the Cawthorne

Channel in Rivers State and kill five

Natural resources/energy security:

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources

2006 26 September

Dr Edmund Daukoru meets with 21

ambassadors from EU Member States, the









Political developments: The national

executive of NUPENG and PENGASSAN

2006 14 September

meet in Abuja and decide to suspend the

three-day strike. PENGASSAN President









Law enforcement: The Joint Military Task

Force in Rivers State announces that Tom

Ateke, leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante

(NDV), is wanted and offers a N5 million



2006 13 September





Political developments: The 3-day

warning strike ordered by NUPENG and

PENGASSAN begins, and the oil and gas

sector suffers an almost total shutdown.









Armed clashes/violent incidents:

Armed men attack a Chevron supply ship

at an offshore oilfield killing one Nigerian

2006 12 September oil worker and injuring another.









Political developments: President

Obasanjo receives a delegation of

traditional rulers from Bayelsa State to

discuss violence in the Niger Delta. The









The National Union of Petroleum and

Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the

2006 11 September

Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff

Association of Nigerian (PENGASSAN)

2006 11 September









Natural resources/energy security: Dr

Edmund Daukoru, Minister of State for

Petroleum Resources, says at an OPEC

meeting in Vienna that the Niger Delta









Law enforcement: The SSS arrests two

youths from the Kou clan in connection

with the abduction of six foreign oil workers

2006 10 September of Peak Petroleum Nigeria Limited three

months ago.









Law enforcement: The State Security

Service (SSS) reports that a suspect

presumed to be a leader of one of the

groups conducting abductions of oil



2006 7 September





Political developments: Police

Commissioner Lawrence Alobi announces

the assassination of Navy Capt John Abu

on 31 August. Alobi says investigations









Law enforcement: The Joint Military Task

Force (JTF) arrests several militants and

recovers firearms in the Okochiri area of

2006 6 September Rivers State. The armoury included AK-47

rifles, machine guns, ammunition and

bulletproof vests.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The Lebanese hostage abducted 16

August is released. The release of this

2006 1 September hostage signifies that all oil workers

abducted in the region in August have now

been released.

Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The Lebanese hostage abducted 16

August is released. The release of this

2006 1 September hostage signifies that all oil workers

abducted in the region in August have now

been released.









2006 September





Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The Movement for the Emancipation of

the Niger Delta (MEND) says it has

ordered the release of the Italian hostage









Following the intervention by MEND, the

Italian hostage is released.

2006 29 August









Human rights/human security: Human

Rights Watch (HRW) issues a report

stating the Nigerian government must

investigate the actions taken by military









Law enforcement: The SSS announces it

has arrested four people related to the

abduction of the Lebanese hostage taken

2006 28 August 16 August. In addition to the suspect

obtained 26 August, a member of the

Niger Delta Enlightenment and Expedition

Force attempting to collect the ransom, the

SSS has arrested three staff members









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The kidnappers of the unnamed

Lebanese employee of Homan

Engineering Company, abducted 16



2006 26 August





Law enforcement: The State Security

Service (SSS) arrests a man related to the

kidnapping of the Lebanese hostage. The

man is arrested while attempting to collect

Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: An Italian employee of Saipem is

kidnapped by gunmen in Port Harcourt. His

military bodyguard is killed during the









Security operations: In response to the

2006 24 August kidnapping of the Italian oil worker,

Nigerian soldiers burn hundreds of slum

houses close to the Saipem compound.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Six hostages abducted at a nightclub

two weeks ago are handed over to their

respective embassies. The hostages









Armed clashes/violent incidents:

Representatives of the Movement for the

Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)

2006 23 August report the killing of a Nigerian employee of

Royal Dutch Shell who was being held

hostage. MEND claims it was trying to help

the Bayelsa state government in their

attempts to free the hostage when









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Rivers state governor Peter Odili

announces that any ‗traditional ruler or

2006 22 August opinion leader‘ collaborating in hostage-

taking will be charged under applicable

laws.









Law enforcement: The Joint Task Force

aimed at stopping the recent kidnappings

and other violence in the Niger Delta

2006 21 August releases most of the 100 people arrested

in the Port Harcourt area over the

weekend. However, an army

representative says these operations to

root out kidnappers will continue.

Law enforcement: The Joint Task Force

aimed at stopping the recent kidnappings

and other violence in the Niger Delta

2006 21 August releases most of the 100 people arrested

in the Port Harcourt area over the

weekend. However, an army

representative says these operations to

root out kidnappers will continue.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The German oil worker with Bilfinger

and Berger abducted on 3 August is

2006 20 August released.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Nigeria‘s leading construction firm,

Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, begins its

2006 17 August withdrawal from the Niger Delta due to the

kidnapping of a member of its staff.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: An unnamed Lebanese employee of

Homan Engineering Company is abducted

2006 16 August near Port Harcourt.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Representatives from the US embassy

say they have received reports that of the 4

oil workers abducted 13 August one is an









The two Norwegians and two Ukrainians

abducted from an oil services ship on 9

2006 15 August

August are released.

2006 15 August









Political developments: In reference to

the recent kidnappings in the Niger Delta,

President Obasanjo orders security forces

to conduct 24-hour patrols of vulnerable









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Three Filipino hostages are released

after 10 days in captivity. The hostages

worked for an American oil company.



2006 14 August





The Moroccan and Belgian oil contractors

abducted last week are released.









Kidnapping/abductions/disappearances:

At least four foreign oil workers, including

two Britons, are kidnapped from a

2006 13 August nightclub in Port Harcourt. Authorities do

not have a full list of those abducted nor

are the kidnappers‘ identities known.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: A Belgian and a Moroccan are

kidnapped in Port Harcourt. Both are oil

2006 10 August contractors, and their kidnappers are

currently unknown.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Two Norwegians and two Ukrainians are

kidnapped at gunpoint from an oil services

ship about 28 nautical miles off the coast



2006 9 August

2006 9 August





The Movement of the Niger Delta People

restate their demands and release a

photograph of their German hostage in an

email statement. The hostage, who gives









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The responsibility for the 3 August

kidnapping of a German employee of oil

2006 7 August company Bilfinger and Berger is claimed

by the Movement of the Niger Delta

People, a previously unknown group. In

exchange for their hostage, the group

demands the release two ethnic Ijaw









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Three oil workers from the Philippines

are kidnapped on their way to work. Those

2006 5 August kidnapped are staff of the Overseas

Technical Services (OTS), part of the

Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG)

company. Their kidnappers are currently

unknown.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: A German worker employed by oil

company Bilfinger and Berger is kidnapped

2006 3 August in Port Harcourt. Police say the armed men

were dressed in military fatigues.









Natural resources/energy security:

Attackers vacate the Agip oil flowstation

they had shut down on 26 July. All

2006 31 July hostages are released.

Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: A foreign worker is abducted in the

Rivers state. An oil industry source claims

2006 29 July the foreigner is Italian.









Natural resources/energy security: An

oil flowstation belonging to Italian oil

company Agip is shut down in a night raid

2006 26 July by unknown militants. The number of

hostages being held is unclear.









Natural resources/energy security: Four

naval officers are killed in Okerenkoko in

Warri South West Local Council of Delta

State while escorting a convoy of fuel



2006 13 July





Political developments: The Bayelsa

State government establishes a committee

to draft legislation in response to ongoing

incidents of kidnapping and terrorism in the









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Militants abduct a Dutchman working for

an unfinished Shell gas plant. The

2006 6 July abduction followed a community protest

calling for more jobs and investment from

the company.

Armed clashes/violent incidents:

Unknown gunmen attack an oil rig offshore

but withdraw after a brief clash with state

2006 5 July security forces. During the clash the

gunmen abduct one former naval staff

working as a security officer. The

Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND), the group behind









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The two Filipino oil workers, who were

kidnapped on 20 June 2006, are released

2006 25 June by their captors. Although Beaufort

International denies having paid ransom, it

believed that oil companies are most of the

time prepared to pay large sums of money

in exchange for their kidnapped workers.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Two Filipino oil workers are abducted by

six unknown masked men in a speed boat

2006 20 June near the city of Port Harcourt. The two

foreign nationals work for Beaufort

International, a company contracted by the

Norwegian oil company Petroleum Geo

Services. It remains unclear which militant









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: MEND releases the five South Korean

hostages near Port Harcourt. It states that

2006 8 June the release was a direct result of an appeal

made by Mujahid Dokubo-Asari to free the

foreign workers.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Gunmen of the Movement for the

Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)

2006 7 June and two other unnamed militant groups

kidnap five South Korean engineers from a

gas plant of Royal Dutch Shell in the Niger

Delta and reportedly kill five Nigerian

soldiers during the raid. In an email, MEND

Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: The Nigerian government confirms that

all eight hostages abducted on 2 June

2006 4 June were released by their kidnappers.









Kidnappings/abductions/disappearance

s: Between 20 and 30 of militants in

speedboats attack the Bulford Dolphin oil

2006 2 June rig, which is owned by Peak Petroleum and

is located 60 km to the south of the Niger

Delta, and abduct eight foreign oil workers.

It is believed that the kidnapping was

committed by the Bilabiri community, which









Military developments: The Commander

of the US naval forces in Europe and

Africa, Admiral Harry Ullrich, states that the

2006 31 May presence of US warships in the Gulf of

Guinea is solely for the protection of the

region from terrorists, pirates and

smugglers. The Gulf is also home to

Nigeria‘s largest oil field, the Bonga









Military developments: President

Olusegun Obasanjo opens the second Sea

Power for Africa Symposium in the

2006 30 May Nigerian capital Abuja and calls upon the

participating African governments to focus

on strengthening their navies, in order to

fight the increasing problem of sea

terrorism along Africa‘s coasts.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

Four Niger Delta militant groups, the Niger

Delta People‘s Volunteer Force (NDPVF),

2006 22 May the Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND), the Coalition for

Military Action in the Niger Delta (COMA)

and the Martyrs Brigade issue a joint

statement in which they threaten to launch

Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

Four Niger Delta militant groups, the Niger

Delta People‘s Volunteer Force (NDPVF),

2006 22 May the Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND), the Coalition for

Military Action in the Niger Delta (COMA)

and the Martyrs Brigade issue a joint

statement in which they threaten to launch









Natural resources/energy security: The

Federal High Court in Port Harcourt rules

that the Shell Petroleum Development

2006 20 May Company (SPDC) is required to pay USD

1.5 billion in compensation payments for

environmental degradation to Ijaw

communities in Bayelsa State until 22 May

2006. SPDC appeals against the court









Energy/Natural resources: Up to 200

people are killed in a pipeline explosion on

a beach near Lagos. According to Nigerian

authorities, the location is well-know for









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

2006 12 May MEND threatens to assault the Nigeria

Liquefied Natural Gas plant near Lagos,

which constitutes one of the largest gas









The three foreign oil workers abducted by

a local community near Port Harcourt are

released. It is unclear whether ransom has

been paid to achieve the release.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

MEND announces that it will target all

governors of Niger Delta States, who will

2006 9 May vote in favour of a third term of the

Nigerian Olusegun Obasanjo in the

National Assembly.

Violent clashes/armed incident: MEND

detonates a 33 kg car bomb in a tanker

truck car park in Warri, destroying five

2006 29 April trucks. In an email, MEND urges all foreign

oil companies, especially Chinese

companies which just recently signed

major oil deals with the Nigerian central

government, to leave the Niger Delta.









Political developments: The Ijaw

National Congress (INC) calls again upon

the Nigerian central government to engage

2006 26 April in constructive dialogue, in order to

successfully solve the crisis in the Niger

Delta. Political analysts observe that

MEND‘s attacks on oil installation has

helped other Ijaw groups to make their









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups: In

an email addressed to the Nigerian central

government, MEND threatens to detonate

2006 25 April further car bombs in the Niger Delta.









Political developments: The Nigerian

central government announces to pay off

its USD 4.6 billion debt to the Paris Club.

2006 21 April Obasanjo states that this will free up funds

for economic reform and social

programmes throughout Nigeria.









Armed clashes/violent incident: Two

people are killed in a car bomb explosion

in a military barrack in the city Port

2006 20 April Harcourt, Niger Delta. MEND claims

responsibility for the attack and issues a

warning that further, more ferocious

attacks will follow in the near future.

Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Movement for the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) denounces the

2006 19 April Nigerian President‘s developmental

programmes for the Niger Delta. MEND

demands complete control over oil

resources in the region and therefore the

government‘s proposal is unacceptable.









Political Developments: The Nigerian

President, Olusegun Obasanjo, meets with

community leaders of the Niger Delta to

2006 18 April draw up plans aimed at addressing the

difficult humanitarian situation in the Delta.

Obasanjo promises to launch health and

education programmes, create 20,000 new

jobs and to invest USD 1.8 billion into a









Political Developments: The Ijaw

National Congress (INC) calls upon the

Nigerian central government to engage in

2006 16 April constructive dialogue, in order to

successfully solve crisis in the Niger Delta.

The INC wants greater economic and

political participation for Ijaw communities

throughout the Niger Delta and more









Political developments: The Nigerian

President, Olusegun Obasanjo,

inaugurates a new committee tasked to

2006 5 April find a solution to the crisis in the Niger

Delta. The committee is expected to

propose a draft solution within the coming

two weeks.









Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Nigerian army states that it engaged in

fighting with Niger Delta militants near a

2006 1 April petrol station of the Shell Petroleum

Development Company (SPDC) on 30

March. No information is provided on the

exact location and possible casualties.

Insurgency/Non-state armed groups:

The Nigerian army states that it engaged in

fighting with Niger Delta militants near a

2006 1 April petrol station of the Shell Petroleum

Development Company (SPDC) on 30

March. No information is provided on the

exact location and possible casualties.









MEND releases the remaining three oil

workers who had been kidnapped by the

militants in February. In an email the

2006 27 March militants emphasise that this is not a sign

of weakness and that they will continue

their attacks on oil installations and on oil

workers in the future.









The British government demands the

immediate release of the three remaining

hostages kidnapped by the Movement for

2006 22 March the Emancipation of the Niger Delta

(MEND). Albeit acknowledging the difficult

living conditions in the region, the British

High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard

Gozney, maintains that hostage-taking









The Nigerian Minister of State for

Petroleum Resources, Edmund Daukoru,

announces that the present crisis in the

2006 21 March Niger Delta has cost the Nigerian central

government nearly US $1 billion in oil

revenues so far. Referring to the demands

of militants, the minister points out that the

government is committed to address the









Negotiations between the Nigerian federal

government of Delta State and MEND to

release the three oil worker almost

2006 19 March collapse, as attacks on Ijaw youth leaders

throughout the Niger Delta were reported

in the early morning hours. The attackers

could not be identified and the government

vehemently rejects any involvement.

Agip, an Italian oil company, reports that

an explosion heavily damaged its

Tebidaba-Brass crude oil pipeline in the

2006 18 March Niger Delta. Agip believes that the

explosion was caused by militants, but

could confirm the assailants‘ identity.









MEND denies claims that it has agreed to

free the remaining three oil workers any

time soon. The hostages would only be

2006 13 March released, if the Nigerian government was

ready to accept and implement MEND‘s

demands: the release of Alhaji Mujahid

Dokubo-Asari, leader of the Ijaw Niger

Delta Peopls‘s Volunteer Force (NDPVF),









The President of the Nigeria Labour

Congress (NLC), Adams Oshiomole,

advises against a military solution to the

2006 11 March crisis in the Niger Delta. Oshiomole says

that those behind the kidnappings are not

groups fighting for the secession of the

Niger Delta but struggle for a better living

conditions and a more equal distribution of









MEND states that seven soldiers were

killed when the Nigerian armed forces

conducted an attack on MEND‘s bases in

2006 9 March the Niger Delta.









The head of the military Joint Task Force

(JTF) in the Niger Delta, General Elias

Zamani, has been dismissed, as evidence

implicates him of having supported oil theft



2006 8 March

2006 8 March





The Nigerian Defence Minister, Roland

Oritsejafo, announces that the Nigerian

central government looses each day US

$19.2 million of oil revenues, due to









In an email addressed to the Nigerian

central government, MEND declares that it

will launch further assaults on foreign oil

2006 5 March installations, aiming at cutting Nigeria‘s oil

production by half in March. MEND‘s

attacks in February caused oil exploitation

to fall by one fifth (455,000 barrels per day)

in the Niger Delta. The Nigerian Union of









Unidentified militants bomb the Agge and

Agoro pipleines of the Shell Petroleum

Development Company (SPDC) in Bayelsa

2006 4 March State.









The Nigerian central government confirms

that MEND released six of the nine foreign

oil workers.

2006 3 March









The Nigerian central government

addresses China for military assistance, in

order protect the Niger Delta from an

2006 27 February escalation of militant attacks. According to

the Financial Times , Nigeria intends to

acquire 200 boats to protect oil production

in the Delta. The US has promised to

support Nigeria in the past, but plans to

In a written statement addressed to the

Nigerian central government, the

Movement of the Emancipation of the

2006 25 February Niger Delta (MEND) dismisses claims that

it has agreed to stop attacks on oil

installations and to release the nine the

foreign hostages abducted on 18 January.

MEND demands that an external party, the









The Nigerian central government and the

federal government of Delta State jointly

send a delegation to negotiate with MEND

2006 20 February the release of the nine foreign oil workers.









Troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF)

launch an attack on for Ijaw villages in

Warri, Delta State. While official sources

maintain that the main objectives of the

military operation, Operation Restore

Hope, is to seize oil thieves and to destroy

barges used for oil bunkering, Ijaw leaders

claim that the attacks are designed to



2006 18 February





The Movement of the Emancipation of the

Niger Delta (MEND) abducts nine foreign

oil workers of the US oil company Willbros

in the Niger Delta. MEND also sabotages

the Forcados export terminal of the Shell

Petroleum Development Company

(SPDC). Shell confirms the damage and

says that for the time being the company









The Nigerian navy announces that one of

its helicopters on a routine patrol came

under attack by militants in the Niger Delta.

2006 17 February MEND claims responsibility for the

incident.

The Shell Petroleum Development

Company (SPDC) announces that due to a

fire blaze the Cawhtorne flow station in the

2006 16 February southern Niger delta is shut down. SPDC

states that the causes of the fire are

unknown.









The Nigerian armed forces attack targets

in Delta State with gunship helicopters,

allegedly killing six people. While the

Movement for the Emancipation of the









The British Foreign Minister, Jack Straw,

says at a meeting with Shell Executives in

2006 15 February

Port Harcort that oil theft constitutes a

serious security challenge for the Niger









The lawyer of NDPVF leader Dokubo-

Asari, Festus Keyamo, appeals to the High

Court in Abuja to release Asari from the

unknown detention centre and move him









According to his lawyer Festus Keyamo,

the leader of the Niger Delta People‘s

Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid

2006 8 February Dokubo-Asari, is transferred from the

central prison in Abuja to an unknown

detention centre.









The federal government of Bayelsa State

denies any allegations that it engaged in

negotiations with militants to secure the

2006 5 February release of the four foreign oil workers who

had been kidnapped in January.

The federal government of Bayelsa State

denies any allegations that it engaged in

negotiations with militants to secure the

2006 5 February release of the four foreign oil workers who

had been kidnapped in January.









While welcoming the release of the

hostages, Nigerian President Olusegun

Obasanjo stresses that the Nigerian

2006 31 January central government would never succumb

to blackmail from militants groups.









Radio France Internationale (RFI) reports

that the four foreign oil workers kidnapped

on 11 January, nationals from Honduras,

2006 30 January Bulgaria, the UK, and the US, have been

freed.









Despite recent violent attacks on its

personnel and installations, the Shell

Petroleum Development Company (SPDC)

2006 27 January reiterates that it will not stop its operations

in the Niger Delta.









Five unidentified gunmen attack production

facilities of AGIP, an Italian oil company. In

the subsequent gunfire battle between the

2006 25 January attackers and security forces nine people

are killed.

The leader of the Niger Delta Peopls‘s

Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid

Dokubo-Asari, makes appeal and

2006 24 January demands the immediate suspension of the

treason charges made against him.









Brutus Ebipadei, leader of the Movement

for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta

(MEND), states that the four foreign oil

workers taken hostage on 11 January will



2006 23 January





Radio France Internationale (RFI ) reports

that until now it could not be confirmed by

which group the four foreign oil workers

were abducted, as five different









One helicopter (Augusta ) and two ships

(NNS Obula and NNS Nwamba ) are

deployed to the Niger Delta to strengthen

2006 23 January security.









A special negotiating team on the hostage

crisis is set up by the Nigerian government

and meets in Yenagoa. The team has

2006 22 January allegedly made contact with the kidnappers

and have been assured of the safety of the

four hostages. Meanwhile, an e-mail

statement by the self-styled Movement for

the Emancipation of the Niger Delta









Nigerian oil workers‘ unions threaten to

withdraw their members from the Niger

Delta area due to tensions following the

2006 20 January kidnapping of four Shell workers and

attacks on oil facilities.

Nigerian oil workers‘ unions threaten to

withdraw their members from the Niger

Delta area due to tensions following the

2006 20 January kidnapping of four Shell workers and

attacks on oil facilities.









Royal Dutch Shell announces that it has no

plans of pulling out from Nigeria‘s delta,

despite recent rumours to that effect. Shell

2006 16 January evacuated some 330 workers from four oil

flow stations on 15 January; some

observers saw this as the company

considering a pullout from the Niger Delta.









Delta community leaders deny training

militias to disrupt the oil exploration in the

Niger Delta of companies such as Shell

2006 11 January Petroleum Development Company and

Chevron Nigeria Limited.









President Olusegun Obasanjo is petitioned

by elders of the Ugborodo Community in

Warri South West Local Government

Council of Delta state over a report



2006 9 January





CNOOC, China‘s dominant offshore oil

and gas producer, is to pay US$ 2.3 billion

for a stake in Nigerian oil and gas fields.









Royal Dutch Shell announces the

restoration of oil exports from southern

Nigeria following a pipeline explosion on 20

2006 6 January December which initially cut the daily

production with some 180,000 barrels.

The Nigerian central government deploys

2,000 soldiers and riot policemen to the

Niger Delta to prevent further attacks on oil

2005 26 December pipelines. The security will be sent to

various production facilities of the Shell

Petroleum Development Company

(SPDC), and Chevron Texaco Nigeria

Limited. The Nigerian Navy has also









A pipeline explosion in Edo State claims

five lives. The pipeline belongs to the

Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation

2005 22 December (NNPC) which states that the explosion

was a result of illegally oil bunkering. The

five victims are believed to be youths

attempting to steal the oil.









A pipeline explosion 50 km southwest of

Port Harcourt, Rivers State, kills 11 people.

The Shell Petroleum Development

2005 21 December Company (SPDC), the owner of the

pipeline, claims that the explosion was

caused by a militant group planting

dynamite at the pipeline. It is feared that a

major oil spill resulting from leaking









Further troops are deployed to Bayelsa

State to improve the security situation.

Bayelsa State governor, Diepreye

2005 29 November Alamieyeseigha, accuses the Nigerian

central government to prosecute him

because of his Ijaw ethnic background.









The Nigerian government sends hundreds

of troops to Bayelsa State in the Niger

Delta in an attempt to control the rising

2005 28 November tensions due to the possible impeachment

of the Bayelsa State governor, Diepreye

Alamieyeseigha. Alamieyeseigha, accused

of money laundering, has fled the United

Kingdom to escape prosecution.

The Nigerian government sends hundreds

of troops to Bayelsa State in the Niger

Delta in an attempt to control the rising

2005 28 November tensions due to the possible impeachment

of the Bayelsa State governor, Diepreye

Alamieyeseigha. Alamieyeseigha, accused

of money laundering, has fled the United

Kingdom to escape prosecution.









The Uzere ethnic community in the Delta

State issues a three-week ultimatum to the

Shell Petroleum Development Company

2005 25 November (SPDC) to start paying out its long

promised compensation payments for oil

spillage and environmental degradation.

The traditional chief of the Uzere kingdom,

Ben Obegba, declares that, if the SPDC









The Petroleum and Pipeline Products

Marketing Company (PPMC) lobbies the

Nigerian government to change the

Petroleum Production and Distribution Anti-



2005 15 November





The High Court in Benin City rules that the

flaring of natural gas is form now on illegal

in Nigeria. The lawyer representing the

Iwerekan ethnic minority from the Niger









Ledum Mitee, leader of the ethnic

Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni

people (MOSOP) and successor of Ken

Saro-Wiwa, appeals to the Nigerian



2005 9 November





Mitee suggests that authorities should not

waste this rare chance of settling struggles

which have lasted for over more than a

decade. Mitee also stresses that it is in the









The leader of the Niger Delta People‘s

Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Mujahid

Dokubu Asari, starts a hunger strike in

2005 7 November prison to protest against his continuous

solidarity confinement.

The leader of the Niger Delta People‘s

Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Mujahid

Dokubu Asari, starts a hunger strike in

2005 7 November prison to protest against his continuous

solidarity confinement.









A report issued by Amnesty International

(AI) claims that 10 years after the

execution of Ken Saro Wiwa, the Nigerian

2005 3 November government continues to brutally suppress

ethnic minority claims in the Niger Delta.

Particular reference is made to an incident

in February 2005 wich saw Nigerian

security forces violently dissolve a group of









Chief of Navy Staff Vice-Admiral, Ganiyu

Adekeye, announces that the Nigerian

Navy will open further two operational

bases in Cross Rivers and Bayelsa State.



2005 22 October





Sixty people are reported dead after a fire

broke out at an oil pipeline in Delta State. It

is believed that the victims were in the

process of stealing oil when the fire broke









Ralph Uwazuruike, leader of the

Movement for the Actualisation if a

Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), is

arrested by the Nigerian State Security



2005 20 October





The federal high court in Abuja refuses to

release the leader of the Niger Delta

People‘s Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji

Asari Dokubo, on bail. The court fears that









Mujahid Dokubo Asari, Nigerian separatist

militia leader fighting for the self-

determination of the Ijaw people, is

2005 6 October charged with treason and may face the

death penalty. His arrest has sparked

protest and unrest in the Niger Delta region

of Nigeria, the oil-producing part of the

country.

Mujahid Dokubo Asari, Nigerian separatist

militia leader fighting for the self-

determination of the Ijaw people, is

2005 6 October charged with treason and may face the

death penalty. His arrest has sparked

protest and unrest in the Niger Delta region

of Nigeria, the oil-producing part of the

country.









Chevron Texaco spokesman, Deji

Haastrup, announces that the company

has reopened its two flow stations and has

2005 27 September resumed production. The decision was

taken after Niger Delta People's Volunteer

Force stated it would no longer attempt to

attack Chevron‘s production facilities.









Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr.

Edmund Dakoru, appeals to the IYC and

the people of Bayelsa State to renounce on

2005 25 September violence. Dakoru stresses that attacks on

foreign oil companies would only

complicate matters and would not

contribute towards an earlier release of

Bayelsa State Governor, Diepreye









Anticipating further violence after the arrest

of the leader of the Niger Delta People's

Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Mujahid

2005 23 September Dokubu-Asari, on 21 September, Chevron

Texaco decides to temporarily shut down

its second flow station Robertkiri in Cross

Rivers State. The security situation in the

Niger Delta, especially in Cross Rivers









Despite the presence of troops of the

Nigerian Armed Forces and riot police, 100

armed members of the NDPVF assault

2005 22 September and occupy a Chevron flow station and a

production site of the Petroleum

Development Company (SPDC).

Following the arrest of the leader of the

Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force

(NDPVF), Mujahid Dokubu-Asari,

2005 21 September members of the NDPVF demonstrate in

the streets of Port Harcourt. A spokesman

of the NDPVF, Onegiya Erekosima,

stresses that they will not hesitate to use

violence and explosives to disrupt oil









After the arrest of Bayelsa‘s State

Governor, Diepreye Solomon Peter

Alamieyeseigha, in London, members of

2005 18 September the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) threaten to

attack British citizens and property in the

region. According to the Nigerian

Guardian , Alamieyeseigha was arrested to

days earlier in connection with corruption









Flag Officer of the Nigerian Navy,

Commodore John Kpokpogri, states that

the Nigerian Navy plans on ordering new

2005 11 September combat helicopters (no information on the

type of helicopter provided) which would

be primarily used in the fight against oil

pipeline vandals and oil pirats in the Niger

Delta.









Militants of the Ukwugba community in

Egbema, a town in Imo State, attack a field

logistic base of the Shell Petroleum

2005 1 September Development Company (SPDC). The

seizure of the facility is carried out in

protests against the recent power supply

cuts to the community. Shell insists that it

the black outs are not its responsibility and









Chairman of House of Representatives

sub-committee on Petroleum and

Community Affairs of Cross River State,

2005 18 August Daemi Akpana, announces that sabotage

and theft committed by certain groups

result in a daily loss of more than 500.000

barrels of crude oil in the Niger Delta.

Given that Nigeria‘s foreign exchange

Five communities in Cross River (the

Ombodo-Aluu, Elikpokwuodu, Mgbuchi,

Eledo and Rumuawhoechor-Rumuekini)

2005 16 August occupy and close down the Agbada flow

station of the the Shell Petroleum

Development Company (SPDC).

According to the Nigerian Guardian , the

communities‘ action is a response to









The representatives from the Ughelli and

Udu local councils, Dr. Chris

Oghenechovwe visits the site of the recent

2005 1 August oil spill in the Delta State and conveys his

disappointment about Shell‘s lack of

commitment to engage in any meaningful

action to resolve the issue. Since the spill

more than eleven people had to be









A oil spill hits the Otu-Jeremi community in

Delta State. The oils is believed to have

escaped through a defect pipeline of the

2005 25 July Shell Petroleum Development Company

(SPDC). At the moment it is unclear

whether the incident is an act of sabotage

or a genuine accident.









At a gala dinner in Abuja Nigerian

President Olusegun Obasanjo describes

the outcomes of the National Political

2005 24 July Reform Conference (NPRC) as ‗most

successful‘. The main objectives of the

NPRC have been to discuss and

implemented 187 recommended changes

to the Nigerian Constitution. These have









The Nigerian State Security Service (SSS)

questions Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, a warlord

from the Niger Delta and leader of the

2005 22 July Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force

(NDPVF). Asari is well-known by the

Nigerian authorities for intending to

achieve a break-away of the Niger Delta

from the rest of the country. In an interview

The Nigerian State Security Service (SSS)

questions Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, a warlord

from the Niger Delta and leader of the

2005 22 July Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force

(NDPVF). Asari is well-known by the

Nigerian authorities for intending to

achieve a break-away of the Niger Delta

from the rest of the country. In an interview









Due to stalled negotiations at the National

Political Reform Conference (NPRC) the

Ijaw Youth Council and (IYC) Ijaw

2005 15 July community in Cross River State block all

oil and gas production sites in the region. A

spokesperson elaborates the Council‘s

demands. He says the production facilities

will only operate again if the NPRC results









A national conference to balance the

constitution over the distribution of the oil

wealth among the divided nation fails to

achieve any result. Initiated by President



2005 30 June





In a news conferences in River Cross

State, youths from six of the nine oil

producing states (exact names of states

not mentioned) announce their









Hundreds of youths in Bonny Local

Government of Rivers State barricade the

Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company

2005 29 June (NLNG) for the company‘s failure to fulfil

the 40 per cent employment quota, as set

in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

on employment seven years ago.









The commander of the Niger Delta

Volunteer Force, Mr Richman Linbiri calls

on companies to stop funding militants and

2005 26 June invest the resources into development

projects.

In a statement released in Port Harcourt,

Rivers State, the Movement for the

Survival of the Ogoni People (Mosop)

2005 23 June accuses the Shell Petroleum Development

Company (SPDC) of plans to destabilise

Ogoni communities prior to the

reconciliatory talks mediated by Rev

Father Mathew Kukah. Shell‘s Ogoni Re-









Patterson Ogon, head of the Ijaw Council

for Human Rights, an NGO based in the

Niger Delta, announces the release of all

2005 18 June six men kidnapped on 15 June to the

deputy governor of Bayelsa State. An

agreement is researched for the

implementation of a memorandum of

understanding with the Shell oil company.









Two German oil engineers and four

Nigerian nationals working on a platform

for Bilfinger Berger Gas and Oil Services

2005 15 June Ltd., a subcontractor to Shell and other oil

companies, are taken hostage by ethnic

Ijaw militants.









President Obasanjo appoints the Nigerian

Catholic priest, Matthew Kukah to settle

2005 1 June

the dispute between Shell and the minority

activist group, Movement for the Survival









One person is killed and 35 others injured

when vandalised pipelines of the Nigerian

National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in

2005 29 May Apete Village, near Ibadan, Oyo State

capital in southwestern Nigeria explode.

Some residents were scooping oil from the

pipelines when a van passing by causes

the fire incident. 25 people are

It is reported that at least 112 bunkerers,

including four foreigners have been

arrested by Nigerian Eastern Naval

2005 28 May Command personnel for their alleged

involvement in illegal oil bunkering on the

high seas over the past year. Nine ships,

fifty barges and several hundreds of

"Cotonou Boats" carrying illegal tanks have









The decision to halt phase II of the Imiringi-

Nembe road project by the Shell Petroleum

Development Company (SPDC) ignites

2005 25 May demonstrations in 13 host communities in

the Niger Delta region.









An estimated 1,000 people in Delta State

protest peacefully at the Shell Petroleum

Development Company‘s (SPDC) Warri

2005 20 May office. The company halts operations and

closes all its entry points out of fear that

the protest will turn violent. The protesters

blockading the Shell locations in Edjeba,

Ogunu, and Ekurede-Urhobo condemn the









Nigerian police shoot a youth during a

protest around the Onne refinery in Port

Harcourt. Hundreds of youths from the

2005 17 May Eleme district of Port Harcourt take to the

streets to demand jobs in one of the two

state refineries in the southern oil city

which, as a result of corruption and neglect

are barely functioning. Police and soldiers









80 of 100 people that were arrested by riot

police at an 8 May rally in Abakaliki, the

2005 10 May

capital of Ebonyi state, are charged for

treason, conspiracy and illegal assembly.

Nigerian naval patrols arrest 11 suspected

river pirates at two locations near the

southern oil city of Port Harcourt, Niger

2005 5 May Delta, as they load 240 barrels of

condensate, an unrefined petroleum

product which can be used as a crude

substitute fuel for petrol engines, onto

wooden barges. One of the suspects









ChevronTexaco announces plans to

revamp some of its community

development aid policies implemented by

2005 3 May its Nigerian subsidiary. The company

admitted that aid has often been

―inadequate, expensive and divisive‖ and

has contributed to fuel violence in the oil-

rich Niger Delta region. A longstanding









Nigerian customs officers detain seven

unidentified suspects including a Briton

2005 25 April

over attempts to smuggle crude oil out of

the country. They were arrested in inshore









The assistant inspector-general of police

Zone 6, Ahlaji Yusuf Haruna accuses

2005 20 April

policemen of exacerbating the conflict in

the Niger/Delta region. He claims that the









Anti-violence campaigns in the Delta

region start to bear fruit as youths

denounce memberships to potentially

violent communal groups and surrender



2005 21 March





A series of violent events following the 19

February destruction of Odioma town by

government troops have so far claimed 28

lives.

At the closing of the 2005 African Centre

for Strategic Study‘s seminar on security

and energy, Nigerian Defence Minister,

2005 12 March Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, assures

his government‘s continued efforts to

enhance security in the Niger Delta. The

minister argues that good governance and

security of resources and people are of









Senior defence experts and military

officers meet to discuss the protection of

the continent‘s oil supplies from political

2005 11 March volatility, war, piracy and terrorism. While

African naval chiefs demand the countries

that import African oil to support a speedy

expansion in national navies, western

delegates urge the major oil suppliers to









Delta State deputy governor, Chief

Benjamin Elue, calls for an investigation

into allegations against the state's

2005 9 March politicians for stockpiling arms and setting

up militia camps to intimidate political

opponents.









The vice-chairman of the Odioma Council

of Chiefs, Daniel Orumiegha-Bari,

addresses the Senate ad hoc committee.

The committee is



2005 8 March





The leader of the Niger Delta People's

Volunteer Force, Asari Dokubo,

announces the establishment of a militant

organisation promoting the rights of the

At the summit of Delta North People's

Democratic Party (PDP) in Asaba, the

Delta State deputy governor condemns the

2005 7 March stockpiling of arms and recruiting of

unemployed youths for the militia by

politicians to intimidate their opponents in

the 2007 elections. He bemoans the

spread of violence in the Delta north









Attending the military exercise code-

named ―Operation Dawn‖ in Dogo Fadama

village near Kontagora in Niger Sate,

2005 24 February Nigeria‘s President and commander-in-

chief, Olusegun Obasanjo, instructs

the chief of army staff to perform regular

inspections of ammunition depots.









Survivors of the Odioma invasion in

Bayelsa State in southern Nigeria protest

the killing of about 80 people by members

of the Basambiri community in Bayelia on



2005 22 February





Odioma chief Mathew Akonu-Erison

blames the Shell Petroleum Development

Company for the murder. He says that by

commencing work in the Odioma territory









The Delta state government issues stern

warnings that it will clamp down on

anybody who disrupts oil companys‘

2005 10 February activities, who attempts to kidnap oil

workers, or who endangers the peace in oil

company premises. Ovuzorie Macaulay,

the commissioner for inter-ethnic relations

and conflict resolution, states that anybody









After yesterday‘s violent outbreak,

Nigeria‘s army is on top alert as security

has been stepped up, including a

2005 5 February reinforcement of troops in the area.

Figures regarding casualties are still

unclear. Whilst General Elias Zamani, the

commandant of the joint military task force,

says that a security guard was killed, a

After yesterday‘s violent outbreak,

Nigeria‘s army is on top alert as security

has been stepped up, including a

2005 5 February reinforcement of troops in the area.

Figures regarding casualties are still

unclear. Whilst General Elias Zamani, the

commandant of the joint military task force,

says that a security guard was killed, a









It is reported that 25 people were killed and

45 others sustained injuries, as the

Nigerian Armed Forces tried to take over

2005 5 February Texaco's Escravos Tank and Oil farm from

youths that had taken control of the

platform.









Shell disclosed that it made profits of $500

million alone in Nigeria last year.



2005 4 February









Approximately 500 members of the

Ugborodo community storm the Chevron

Texaco tankfarm armed with placards and

2005 4 February demand the implementation of a 2002

accord on development of the community,

employment and issuance of contract.

Ugborodo, a mainly ethnic group, say they

want Chevron Texaco to leave the region.









Shell Petroleum Development Company

(SPDC) denies plans to move from Warri,

Delta State, due to violence and communal

2005 2 February crises which has led to production

declines. Basil Omiyi, the managing

director, tells the Governor James Ibori

that Shell cannot relocate due to the huge

investments and physical assets Shell has

It is reported the Nigerian government has

signed a drilling rights agreement worth

US$ 123 million with Sao Tome. Other

2005 2 February parties involved in this deal are Exxon

Mobil and Chevron Texaco.









Delta State House of Assembly members

have made there feelings known about a

proposed construction of a US$ 6 billion

2005 2 February Gas plant in Ondo State. Legislation was

passed by the members of the Assembly,

notifying President Olusegun Obasanjo of

their displeasure.







2005 February





Chris Mulen, British Minister for African

affairs, says the British government will do

everything possible to support Nigeria in

2005 30 January curbing youth restiveness in the Niger

Delta. Mulen says that this region is critical

to the entire world because of its plethora

of oil and gas deposits.









As the oil giant tries to bury the hatchet

with several communities in the Delta

region, Shell's Managing Director, Basil

2005 14 January Omiyi, announces that his company will

look at ways to improve its relationship with

the oil communities.









It is reported that youths from the Odioma

community, are disrupting the production

of oil for the fifth day in a row from a SPDC

2005 13 January station. The fishermen of the community

have thrown their support behind the

youths and are accusing the company of

not honouring a memorandum of

understanding.

Two persons are reported killed in a gun

fire exchange, as police try to arrest two

suspects in the Ekpan community of Delta

State. According to police accounts, the

officers had gone into arrest the suspects

2005 10 January when youths opened fire upon them.









Shell commences its operation in several

of its flow stations, after weeks of

2005 7 January

disruption by villagers of the Kula

community. It is yet to be determined what









A Navy court martial into the

disappearance of the tanker vessel, MS

2005 6 January

African Pride, convicts two top brass navy

officials for heavy handed involvement in









The Delta State Deputy Commissioner of

Police, Mr Abdulrahman Akano, confirms

2005 4 January

that the State Police Public Relations

Officer (PPRO), Assistant Superintendent









Firemen from the Shell Petroleum

Development Company (SPDC) avert a

2004 31 December

major disaster, when they contain a fire

outbreak which could have destroyed the









The Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye

Alamieyeseigha, hands over the Croatian

man that was abducted in the Delta region

a few days ago, after he was taken captive



2004 30 December

2004 30 December





The Kula community have signed an

agreement with Chevron and Royal Dutch

Shell after disrupting oil operations for

weeks. Chief Anab Sara-Igbe of the









It is announced by the Nigerian Navy that

they were able to buy 15 new patrol boats

form the US. Most of the boats are due

2004 29 December before the end of 2005. Navy officials are

stating that the boats will be used for the

purpose of curtailing the operation of oil

bandits in the Niger Delta waters and in

tackling other criminal networks.









According to Anglo Dutch Shell officials, a

Croatian man has been abducted from a

boat by militants in the Niger Delta region.

The man is an oil worker that was



2004 27 December





Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori,

confirms that President Obasanjo has

issued a directive which will see the

withdrawal of military personnel attached to









It is reported that four more bodies were

recovered after the explosion which

occurred on the NNS Enyimiri. The

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation

(NNPC) states that it will investigate the

2004 24 December events behind the blast.

Police officials state that over 20 people

have been killed as a result of thieves

setting an oil pipeline ablaze. The incident

2004 23 December which occurred on Tuesday spread to a

community in Lagos, which caused the

loss of lives.









12 communities in the Niger Delta region

have given Royal Dutch Shell a deadline of

2004 19 December

31 December, to either commence the 42

km Otuegila-Nembe road project, or face









In a meeting with members of the

Committee On Control of Illegal Weapons,

2004 16 December

President Olusegun Obansanjo,

recommends a visit to the trouble spot









Production of 120,000 barrels of oil per day

continues to be disrupted, as the Kula

2004 13 December

community continues to take a stance

against Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron









The leader of the Niger Delta Peoples

Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Asari

2004 12 December

Dokubo, says he has handed over 4,200

rounds of ammunition and 236 rifles.









Officials from the Southeast River State

government fail to reach an agreement

2004 10 December

with members of the Kula community. The

local Chief, Anab Sara-Igbe, insists









Some Ugborodo youths are feared dead

after clashing with soldiers securing the

2004 9 December

Escravos tank farm and oil terminal. The

youths were demonstrating their

Another scheduled official visit to the Delta

State, is postponed by President Olusegun

Obasanjo.









The Delta State Government continues to

urge oil companies to return back to Warri,

2004 9 December

noting that a crisis no longer exists.









Mounting pressure is being brought upon

Shell Nigeria, by two organisations. The

Environmental Rights Action (ERA) and

Friends of the Earth Nigeria (FoEN) want









The villagers of the Kula Community of the

Akuku Toru Local Council of Rivers State,

will evacuate the oil platforms to allow for

2004 8 December negotiations to take place.









Discussions between the parties involved

are taking place to resolve the situation,

which is causing a daily decrease in

2004 6 December production. A Shell spokesman

reports that most of the villagers have left

the platforms, but a few have remained.









Three oil platforms are occupied by

villagers and protesters causing the loss of

90,000 barrels of oil/day. Oil industry

2004 5 December sources are blaming the Kula community

for today‘s production halt.

Three oil platforms are occupied by

villagers and protesters causing the loss of

90,000 barrels of oil/day. Oil industry

2004 5 December sources are blaming the Kula community

for today‘s production halt.









The Nigerian Senate is to consider issuing

penalties against Shell Nigeria, for failing

to pay US$ 1.5 billion for oil pollution that

2004 2 December has been caused in the Niger Delta region.









2004 December





Three activists are arrested by police for

attempting to disrupt Anglo Shell

operations in the Delta. An individual by

2004 24 November the name of Bari Ara-Kpalap alleges that

the police is using brutal force.









Shell spokesman, David Bohmam, states

that 17 youths were injured when they

attempted to disarm soldiers that were

2004 23 November guarding oil rig 75 on 20 November 2004.

The disgruntled youths were

demonstrating over allegations that Shell

has not fulfilled its end of an employment

agreement.









One person in the Rukpokwo community in

the River State dies over dispute over who

should clean up a Shell oil spill. Armed

2004 20 November youths fired their guns into the air, sending

people to flee the community. Anti-riot

police responded to contain the situation.

President Obasanjo initiates dialogue

between the Ogoni people and the Shell

Petroleum Development Company in

2004 9 November hopes of resolving the tension between

them.









Dokubo Asari accuses the Niger Delta

Vigilantes of assassinating two of his militia

men in their homes in Port Harcourt,

2004 5 November threatening the peace process. Niger Delta

Vigilantes deny being involved in the

attack. This is the first conflict-related

incident since the October cease-fire.









The Niger Delta disarmament process

commences. The government has agreed

to buy back weapons from Douko

2004 28 October Asari‘s Niger Delta People‘s Volunteer

Forces (NDPVF) and Ateke Tom‘s Niger

Delta Vigilantes (NDV). NDPVF surrender

a total of 196 assault rifles and 2 machine

guns of their purported 3,000 gun arsenal.









The government stops patroling Port

Harcourt.



2004 25 October









The Nigerian navy arrests and seizes

seven vessels involved in illegally

siphoning of oil and other illegal activities.

2004 20 October The navy claims its' policing has reduced

the frequency of illegal activity of bunkering.

The Niger Delta‘s militia leaders meet with

Nigerian government officials in Abuja to

further stability in the Niger Delta region.

2004 15 October Retired General Abdullahi Mohammed will

serve as chair to the reconciliation

committee that President Obasanjo has

established. The president has also

established a disarmament committee to









Royal Dutch/Shell announces the reduction

of 20,000 barrels a day due to a ruptured

pipeline. It is thought the rupture is the

2004 12 October work of saboteurs.









Governor Peter Odili of the Rivers State

intends to establish a special judicial

committee to facilitate stability and peace.

The committee will address injustice and









The Nigerian military concludes its military

operations in the Niger Delta region,

2004 4 October

although it will remain on alert if needed.

There are unverified reports of violence in









The leader of Niger Delta Vigilante, Tom

Ateke, claims his faction has disarmed

themselves through surrendering their

arms to the government. Ateke also claims









A spokesman for President Obasanjo

states that he will remain involved in

overseeing stability return to the delta

2004 3 October region through discussions with the militia

leaders.

A spokesman for President Obasanjo

states that he will remain involved in

overseeing stability return to the delta

2004 3 October region through discussions with the militia

leaders.









Mujahid Dokubo Asari, leader of the Niger

Delta People‘s Volunteer Force (NDPVF)

reiterates that his force‘s key demand is for

a sovereign national conference to be held









President Obasanjo gives an optimistic

independence day speech, speaking of

2004 1 October

reforms, democracy, and the strengthening

to rule of law- explicitly remarking on the









During a meeting attended by President

Obasanjo, other government officials, the

leader of the Niger Delta People‘s

Volunteer Force Mujahid Dokubo Asari, the









The Congress of Niger Delta Youth

(CNDY) accuse Dukubo of siphoning oil

supplies.

2004 30 September









President Obasanjo‘s spokeswoman

denies that Dukubo will be meeting with

the president. However, Dukubo did fly to

2004 29 September Abuja to meet with either the president

and/or security and top government

officials to discuss security in the Niger

Delta region. They opened a dialogue of

negotiations, but did not come to any

Moujahid Dokubo-Asari, the leader of the

Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force

(NDPVF), declares war on the government

2004 28 September and states it will attack oil company

personnel, including foreigners, unless the

companies close their ventures and leave

the country by 1 October. Dukubo declares

Royal Dutch/Shell, Agip and their









Moujahid Dokubo-Asari, the leader of the

Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force

(NDPVF), announces that he shall meet

2004 28 September with President Obasanjo tomorrow in

Abuja.









The National Council of State (NCS)

empowers President Obasanjo to use all

legitimate means to curb insecurity posed

2004 28 September by groups around the countries.









Due to the large presence and movement

of soldiers, as a safety precaution Royal

Dutch/Shell evacuates 200 non-essential

2004 24 September workers from the Soku facility in the Delta

region, and claims that production will not

be affected.









Hundreds of soldiers are deployed to patrol

the streets of Port Harcourt. Amnesty

International reports that up to 500 people

2004 22 September have been killed in clashes there over the

past month. The police reject Amnesty

International‘s figure and put the death toll

at 13.

The missing oil tanker, MT Lord,

resurfaces around Port Harcourt under a

different name. The tanker was boarded

2004 21 September and recovered by the Nigerian Navy. Crew

members are being interrogated.









At least 50 people die due to an oil pipeline

explosion in Lagos. The cause of the blast

is unknown, but the police claim the

2004 16 September victims were siphoning oil off the pipeline.









At a three-day Nigeria-United States

investment conference, President

Obasanjo calls on the United States to

2004 14 September support Nigeria‘s efforts to maintain

stability, peace, and security in the oil-rich

Delta.









The Rivers State defence unit creates a

special task force to deal with the raise in

violence between two competing armed

2004 10 September gang groups. The Ijaw no longer sees the

Nigerian government as a fair authority to

resolve the Delta region, claiming that the

government benefits too much from the

exploitation of oil in their state.









Under pressure to provide security, the

Nigerian national army is now patrolling

Port Harcourt to prevent further fighting. It

2004 4 September is reported that the armed gangs are vying

for supremacy and are involved in the

illegal siphoning of oil from the Niger

Delta‘s pipelines.

Under pressure to provide security, the

Nigerian national army is now patrolling

Port Harcourt to prevent further fighting. It

2004 4 September is reported that the armed gangs are vying

for supremacy and are involved in the

illegal siphoning of oil from the Niger

Delta‘s pipelines.









The Niger Delta People‘s Volunteer Force,

a revolutionary armed gang that recently

reiterated their declaration of war on the

Nigerian government in addition to their



2004 3 September





In the past two weeks, at least 30 people

have been killed in and around Port

Harcourt due to rival gangs feuds.

Reportedly, since the start of the year, 150









Royal Dutch/Shell rejects the Nigerian

Senate‘s order to compensate the ljaw

community for causing environmental,

2004 1 September social, and economic damages to the tone

of $1.5 billion. Royal Dutch/Shell claims the

order has no legal basis.









2004 September









At least 9 people are reported dead in

another attack during a rampage in Diobu,

the capital of the Rivers State. At 9pm a

2004 31 August gang of armed gang open fired on a

restaurant.









At conference convened to discuss

insecurity in Nigeria, it is concluded

that lapses in national security

2004 30 August are responsible for causing communal

conflicts throughout many parts of the

country.

At conference convened to discuss

insecurity in Nigeria, it is concluded

that lapses in national security

2004 30 August are responsible for causing communal

conflicts throughout many parts of the

country.









12 people are killed in a in a clash between

an armed gang and military personnel in

Port Harcourt at the Marine Base, Amadi

2004 29 August Creek. It is reported that much damage

was inflicted on personal property, 80 cars

as well as kiosks were damaged. Royal

Dutch/Shell is in the process of moving

their headquarters from Lagos to Port









The Nigerian Senate passes an

order directing Shell to pay US $1.5 billion

as compensation to ljaw people of Bayelsa

2004 24 August State (Southern Nigeria). According to

Radio Nigeria- Lagos Channel 1 the bill is

intended to compensate for the ―severe

health hazard, economic hardship,

injurious affection, avoidable deaths and









The founding director of ljaw Council on

Human Rights, Mr. Parrerson

Ogon, declares the planned deployment of

2004 23 August troops in the Niger Delta counterproductive

and stressed that it could lead to further

militarisation of the region.









A raid in Ataba (Southeastern Rivers

State) led by at least eight gunmen

leaves between 12 and 22 people dead.

2004 18 August The attack is motivated by a dispute over

titles to oil riches.

Rescue workers recover an unidentified

body of one of the victims of the Pan

African Airlines (PANA) helicopter.

2004 28 July









A new piracy report claims that Nigerian

waters are the most deadly in the world

during the first half of 2004.

2004 27 July









A Pan African Airline (PANA) helicopter

chartered by American oil firm

ChevronTexaco on a medical evacuation

2004 26 July mission goes missing en route to the

southern oil city of Port Harcourt with four

people on board, including its American

pilot.









Leaders of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC)

claim that they have no involvement in the

recent apprehension of 11 expatriate

2004 24 July workers as hostages in Sagana, Brass

Council area of Bayelsa State.









Royal Dutch/Shell appoints the first

Nigerian, Basil Omiyi, to head its

operations in Nigeria.

2004 20 July

Hundreds of Ijaw women capture four

ChevronTexaco pipeline flow-stations in

boats as they protest against the oil giant

2004 16 July spread in south-eastern Nigeria.









The United States offers assistance to

Nigeria in protecting its flow of oil against

terrorist attacks. The US wants to relaunch

2004 13 July the African Coastal Security Programme

which would improve capacities of

coastguards and combat piracy.









The British-Dutch oil giant, Royal

Dutch/Shell acknowledges that its

business activities "inadvertently" feeds the

2004 11 July conflict in the Niger Delta.









Asaba Delta State Commissioner of

Police‘s command uncovers an illegal

arms factory at Akwukwu-Igbo, in Delta

2004 7 July State, and its owner is arrested.









The peace process in the embattled city of

Warri takes a turn for the worse as key

Ijaw signatories to the peace accord back

2004 6 July out of the deal.

The peace process in the embattled city of

Warri takes a turn for the worse as key

Ijaw signatories to the peace accord back

2004 6 July out of the deal.









Leaders of the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic

groups sign a peace deal.



2004 23 June









Nigerian office workers of the Anglo-Dutch

oil giant Royal Dutch/Shell hold a two-day

warning strike in protest against planned

2004 22 June staff cuts.









Information and national orientation

minister, Chief Chukwuemeka Chikelu,

allays fears about the intention of the US

naval presence near Nigeria's territorial



2004 14 June





Rivers State House of Assembly

unanimously passes into law a bill to

prohibit secret cults and similar activities

including the use of offensive weapons in









In another offensive in a series launched

by the federal government, 10 militants are

2004 12 June

killed in Ogodobiri. A soldier is also killed in

the protracted shootout with the militants.

Six people are killed when troops from the

joint military task force raid Ogodobiri, an

2004 11 June

Ijaw village in search of weapons and are

engaged in a gun battle by armed militants.









Shell commissions and publishes a report

into the problems it faces in Niger River

2004 10 June

delta. The report recommends Shell might

have to leave the area by 2009 because of









Nigeria‘s biggest trade union, the Nigerian

Labour Congress (NLC) is threatening a

nationwide strike over rising fuel prices.

2004 7 June









17 militants are killed in a confrontation

with Nigerian troops at the village of Pere-

Otugbene in the Burutu district.

2004 5 June









Nigerian troops kill 17 armed bandits near

Warri, after the armed bandits in

boats, looting two passenger ferries, open

fire on troops. This came as military



2004 4 June





Soldiers in gunboats clash with ethnic

militants in the rivers of the oil delta.

Militants and villagers claim that dozens of

fighters and civilians are killed. Hundreds

Nigeria receives four military ships donated

by the United States to help the crackdown

on rampant theft of crude oil in the Delta

2004 2 June region.









Leaders of rival ethnic Ijaw and Itsekiri

militia groups shake hands on a peace

agreement in Warri after coming under

2004 1 June heavy government pressure.









State governor James Iboru warns

communities living in the swamps and

creeks of the region that they may be

2004 31 May displaced due to a security sweep aimed at

combating "the unabated activities of sea

pirates, oil-smugglers, kidnappers and

armed robbers".









President Obasanjo vows to hunt down the

pirates who attacked a number of oil

workers on a boat in the swamps two days

2004 25 April ago. The Delta state government has

offered a $75,000 reward for information

leading to the capture of the pirates.









Militants open fire on nine oil workers

traveling on a boat along the Benin river,

west of the oil-producing town of Warri.

2004 23 April Two American contractors working for US

oil firm Chevron Texaco are among the

seven killed. The team were returning from

work opening oil wells that that were

closed down by an armed ethnic uprising

Armed youths in the remote Nigerian oil-

producing state of Bayelsa attack the

Tebidada flow station, an oil facility

2004 21 April operated by Agip, an Italian-owned

company. The five attackers are shot dead

by security guards, and their boats and

weapons are confiscated.









Nigerian soldiers kill two gunmen

launching a speedboat-attack on the main

base of the oil giant Shell in Warri, as they

2004 15 April attempt to steal fuel barges anchored in

the compound.









More than 200 protesters from nearby

village Opherin blockade the Erhiemu oil

pumping station near Warri, operated by

the Anglo Dutch company Shell and



2004 14 April





The villagers claim that Shell had reneged

on a promise to build them a road under its

community development programme.









A federal judge in San Francisco decides

to let a lawsuit known as Bowoto vs.

ChevronTexaco proceed. At issue is a May

2004 24 March 1998 incident in which the Nigerian police

and military fired on and killed protesters

occupying a ChevronTexaco offshore

drilling platform, and two more incidents in

January 1999 in which Nigerian authorities

Nigerian troops deny a claim by an activist

group, the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw

Communities (FNDIC), that members of a

2004 15 March special military task force opened fire on 9

March on unarmed villagers of Fenegbene,

near the southern oil town of Warri, killing

at least 51 people, hours after a soldier

was killed in a clash with an armed gang.









At least five people die in Warri, in a

shootout between troops and unidentified

gunmen.

2004 9 March









Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), an affiliate

company of ChevronTexaco, announces

plans for return to the oilfields it shut 11

2004 11 February months ago at the peak of violent inter-

ethnic unrest among communities in the

Niger Delta. The Delta State Governor,

Chief James Ibori is at the head of an

advance party visiting the Abiteye flow









At least 10 people are killed when Ljaw

militants clash with government troops in

Bomadi, some 35 kilometres from Warri.

2004 15 January According to the Nigerian army the

government troops were carrying out a

search operation when the local militants

opened fire at them. The army arrests 31

militants and recovers guns, ammunition



2004 February









Unidentified gunmen attack two boats near

Warri, killing 18 people. The victims are

mainly women and children belonging to

2004 8 January the Ljaw ethnic group, which suggests

Itsekiri involvement in the attack. Itsekiri

leaders, however, deny responsibility for

the attack.

Unidentified gunmen attack two boats near

Warri, killing 18 people. The victims are

mainly women and children belonging to

2004 8 January the Ljaw ethnic group, which suggests

Itsekiri involvement in the attack. Itsekiri

leaders, however, deny responsibility for

the attack.









The National Commision for Refugees

(NCR) says that some 800,000 people

have been displaced from their homes as

2004 2 January a result of communal and religious clashes

during the past four years.









Kidnappers release the remaining foreign

oil workers that were taken hostage few

days earlier.

2003 30 December









Heavily armed Ljaw militants invade four

Chevron Texaco platforms in Bayelsa state

and kidnap 18 foreign oil workers.

2003 26 December









Human Rights Watch accuses Nigerian

security forces of killings and other abuses

in the delta region. The group also argue

2003 17 December that 'although the violence has both ethnic

and political dimensions, it is essentially a

fight over the oil money, both

governmental revenue and the profits of

stolen crude oil'.

Nigerian government announces that long-

delayed local council elections will be held

on 27 March 2004 throughout Nigeria‘s 36

2003 10 December states.









The Federal High Court of Lagos delivers a

judgment that orders ExxonMobil to pay

three Niger delta communities $10.1

2003 5 December million as compensation for the effects of a

1998 oil spil.









Three Nigerian journalists of the magazine

Insider Weekly claim that top officials in

the Nigerian presidency have been

2003 24 November involved in criminal syndicates that tap

crude oil from pipelines in the delta region.

The three journalists are later arrested.









A pastor of a church is shot dead in

Effurun and this ignites ethnic violence

between Ljaw and Itsekiri militants in the

2003 15 September southern city of Warri. Several people are

killed in the clashes between government

troops and the ethnic militants.









Cease-fire enters into force between the

Ljaw and Itsekiri militants.



2003 21 August

Ljaw and Itsekiri militants engage in heavy

fighting in the southern city of Warri.

During five days of fighting some 100

2003 15 August people are killed and 1,000 injured.

Several thousand residents of the city are

forced to leave their homes.









The Ljaw militants attack an Itsekiri village

in Abi-Gborodo and Itsekiri militants

respond by attacking Ljaw villages in

2003 24 July Ojudogbene, Ekekogbene and

Gbaribodegbene. In these attacks 25

people are killed and several others

injured. In addition to this hundreds are

forced to flee their homes. The Nigerian









The president of the United States, George

W Bush, visits Nigeria in his five-day tour

of Africa. During the visit Nigerian

2003 12 July president, Olusegun Obasanjo, and the

president of United States discuss about

the unstable situation in the Niger Delta.









Ten people are killed as fighting erupts

between armed militants of the Alliance for

Democracy (AD) and Peoples Democratic

2003 11 July Party (PDP) and Nigerian army troops in

Effurun.









President Obasanjo appoints a new

military leadership, promoting Lt. Gen

Alexander Ogomudia, to Chief of the

2003 9 June Defence Staff. Maj-Gen Martin Luther

Agwai, who has senior peacekeeping

experience with the United Nations,

succeeds Ogomudia as head of the army.

President Obasanjo appoints a new

military leadership, promoting Lt. Gen

Alexander Ogomudia, to Chief of the

2003 9 June Defence Staff. Maj-Gen Martin Luther

Agwai, who has senior peacekeeping

experience with the United Nations,

succeeds Ogomudia as head of the army.









Ijaw militants are accused of blowing up

the main gas pipeline for Nigeria‘s biggest

power station near Warri.

2003 26 May









Thirteen people are killed in inter-ethnic

fighting near Warri.



2003 13 May









Three hundred oil rig hostages are

released unharmed as the rig owners and

the unions continue negotiations.

2003 2 May









Workers held on rigs by striking Nigerian

union workers have been described as

hostages, and the Nigerian Navy is on

2003 1 May standby to deal with the situation.

Negotiations are ongoing between the rigs

American owners and the oil workers union.

Oil workers on four Shell-owned rigs are

stranded following a strike by Nigerian

union workers.

2003 29 April









President Olusegun Obasanjo wins a

second term in office. He gains 62% of the

votes despite accusations by opposition

2003 19 April candidates of election rigging.









Human Rights Watch calls upon the

Nigerian government and the oil

multinationals to intervene to stop the inter-

2003 9 April ethnic bloodshed in the Niger Delta.









President Olusegun Obasanjo orders the

immediate arrest of Ijaw militants involved

in recent fighting.

2003 28 March









Ijaw militants agree a ceasefire following

an agreement by the regional governor to

resolve their electoral ward grievances.

2003 27 March

The Nigerian government deploys 1,000

more troops and three frigates to Warri,

bringing the total troop deployment in the

2003 26 March area to 3,000.









Ijaw militants threaten to destroy captured

oil facilities unless government troops pull

out. In response Chevron Texaco shuts

2003 24 March down its main export terminal at Escravos.









The US reduces military assistance to

Nigeria following human rights abuses.



2003 22 March









Ijaw fighters raze a further five Itsekiri

settlements. At least 60 people are killed

as government troops engaged the fighters

2003 20 March in pitched battles.









Significant number of Nigerian troops are

deployed in the troubled Warri region to

quell violence.

2003 19 March

Significant number of Nigerian troops are

deployed in the troubled Warri region to

quell violence.

2003 19 March









Supporters of the ruling People

Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition

Alliance For Democracy (AD) clash in

2003 18 March Oshodi resulting in the death of seven. An

arson attack by Ijaws leaves ten people

dead in the Itsekiri towns of Madangho and

Aruton. The attackers also raze a Shell

beach flow station in Escravos.









Clashes between ethnic Ijaw and navy

troops result in the deaths of five civilians

in the build-up to the general elections.

2003 17 March









Inter-ethnic fighting cost the lives of twelve

in Warri, a major oil producing town.



2003 3 February









Nigeria and three other west African states

have sign a $500 million deal to construct

a regional gas pipeline project. The

2003 31 January scheme is intended to provide Nigerian

gas to Togo, Ghana and Benin.









2003 January

A split occurs between the oil-producing

regions and the remainder after the

proposition of government legislation

2002 17 December designed to enable the former to profit

from offshore oil exports. Non-producing

states believe that they are being treated

unfairly.









President Obasanjo postpones the signing

of the bill meant to cancel the distinction

between offshore and onshore oil

2002 13 December revenues. He says the wording of the

agreement must be changed.









A spokesman declares the government‘s

intention to fine oil companies responsible

for oil spills.

2002 9 December









A US$100 million loan to develop a

liquefied natural gas project in Niger River

Delta is approved. It is expected to provide

2002 20 November over 1,000 jobs for the local population.









The deployment of troops to different

villages raises tension in Delta state, as

locals allege harassment. 12 November

2002 5 November 2002 The United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP) agrees to aid

Chevron-Texaco in its plan to implement

community development projects in the

Niger Delta region.

The deployment of troops to different

villages raises tension in Delta state, as

locals allege harassment. 12 November

2002 5 November 2002 The United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP) agrees to aid

Chevron-Texaco in its plan to implement

community development projects in the

Niger Delta region.









The federal legislature passes a

presidential bill, which effectively cancels

the distinction between onshore and

2002 25 October offshore oil revenues, giving more oil

revenues to the Delta region.









Oil spills in Delta state affect five local

communities.



2002 23 October









Ijaw militants invade and shut down a

number of oil facilities, protesting against

alleged gerrymandering in the recent voter

2002 24 September registration.









An all-women group of protesters infiltrate

a Chevron-Texaco plant. The group keeps

700 oil workers hostage for a ten-day

2002 9 July period.

Protests break out in south-eastern Nigeria

over the government‘s appropriation of

offshore oil reserves.

2002 29 May









The Supreme Court decrees that Nigerian

state territory terminates at the low-water

mark, giving the federal government

2002 5 April exclusive rights to all offshore oil resources.









Militants attempting to board an offshore

rig are confronted by the Nigerian navy. In

the subsequent fighting, at least seven die.

2002 21 January









A UN-backed conference on the Niger

Delta begins in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The

organisers aim to realise a joint strategy to

2001 10 December make development in the region work and

raise living standards.









The National Youth Council of Ogoni

People (NYCOP) demonstrates for more

effective action by the NDCC and the

2001 December state. The protest is forcibly broken up by

the police.

Five people are killed during clashes

between rival groups over the sharing of

$150m Naira oil royalties. The money had

2001 November been given by the companies to promote

development and cooperation.









Ninety-nine oil workers are taken hostage

on an offshore rig off the southern Nigerian

coast.

2001 August









Nine people are killed and 30 wounded in

clashes between members of the Odimodi

and the Ogulagha communities in the

2001 July Niger Delta region. The violence erupted

due to disagreements over the ownership

of an oil field.









Delta police alert the public to a secret

arms build-up by both Urhobos and

Itsekiris in Warri.

2001 June









Governors from the southern states call for

constitutional reforms aimed at devolution.



2001 March

Governors from the southern states call for

constitutional reforms aimed at devolution.



2001 March









The government takes the littoral states to

the Supreme Court to reach a final

decision on the rights to the revenues from

2001 February the offshore oil resources.









The governors of Nigeria‘s 17 southern

states call for a more equitable distribution

of the nation‘s resources and the right to

2001 January set up their own police forces.









2000 October







2000 September







2000 June





Saro-Wiwa‘s funeral takes place in Ogoni

after President Obasanjo authorises the

release of the body as well of the bodies of

2000 24 April the other eight assassinated activists.

President Obasanjo threatens to impose a

state of emergency in order to curb

escalating violence around the country,

2000 March which spans from the south-east region

(Niger Delta) to the north (Kano).









Sharia law is adopted by several northern

states. Christians feel threatened and

protest that the Islamic legal system is

2000 unconstitutional. Inter-religious tensions

increase, and clashes break out resulting

in hundreds of deaths.









Nigerian Minister of Defence General

Dajuma initiates Operation Hakuri II

against Odi and other communities of the

1999 25 November Niger Delta in order to ‗protect lives and

property – particularly oil platforms flow

stations, operating rig terminals and

pipelines refineries and power installation

in the Niger Delta.‘ About 2,000 soldiers









Obasanjo‘s government approves $50m as

emergency spending for the Niger Delta

region.

1999 23 November









Journalists are barred from investigating

military killings and human rights abuses in

the Bayelsa region. There are reports of

1999 22 November hundreds of civilians, mostly women and

children, killed by the military. Thousands

are displaced from their communities in

Odi, Mbiama, Kaiama, and Patani.

1999 November





Nigeria returns to Commonwealth

meetings. Shell Petroleum issues a force

majeure , alerting oil importers that lifting

1999 October for November cannot be guaranteed as

scheduled. This results in a federal loss of

55,000 barrels per day and another

45,000bpd to other joint venture partners.









Human rights groups file a suit against

Chevron in the Federal District Court for

the Northern District of California for

1999 September human rights violations committed in

Nigeria.









The EU lifts all sanctions imposed as a

response to the execution of Ken Saro-

Wiwa. President Obasanjo sends the

1999 June National Assembly a bill to establish the

Niger Delta Development Commission so

as to implement a program for the

sustainable development of the Niger Delta

region.









Severe clashes occur around Warri

between Ijaws and Itsekiri ethnic groups

due to the demand by ethnic Ijaws for their

1999 30 May own local government areas. The crisis in

Warri expands to include the Urhobos.









Democratically-elected General

Obasanjo‘s swearing-in sees the

introduction of civilian rule in Nigeria. US

1999 29 May sanctions against Nigeria are lifted. A

clause in the new constitution offers a

guarantee that at least 13% of federal oil

revenues will be returned to the states

where the oil is produced, compared with

Democratically-elected General

Obasanjo‘s swearing-in sees the

introduction of civilian rule in Nigeria. US

1999 29 May sanctions against Nigeria are lifted. A

clause in the new constitution offers a

guarantee that at least 13% of federal oil

revenues will be returned to the states

where the oil is produced, compared with









General Olusegun Obasanjo is declared

president-elect after winning 63% of the

vote in presidential elections. The

1999 February democratic elections are tainted by

accusations of vote-rigging from various

groups.









Eighty Ijaws and human rights activists are

arrested at Kaiama. Five of the detainees,

including the youth leader of Kaiama, are

1999 2 January executed at the orders of Lieutenant

Colonel Charles Omorege.









Shell recruits two dozen experts from

developmental regions to oversee the

spending of its annual $38m fund for local

1999 projects. Shell holds that its goodwill

activities are limited in the face of corrupt

and inefficient local government.









In the Kaiama Declaration, the Ijaw Youth

Congress demands the immediate

withdrawal of all military forces of

1998 11 December occupation from Ijawland. Any oil company

that employs the services of the armed

forces of the Nigerian state to protect its

operations will be viewed as ‗an enemy of

the Ijaw people‘. Protests against oil

1998 December





A pipeline leak floods a large region near

the town of Jesse in the Niger Delta and

causes a major explosion leading to the

1998 19 October death of about 700 civilians.









Young Ijaw commandos take over 20 oil-

pumping stations and occupy them for

several weeks.

1998 6 October









1998 September







1998 August







1998 July





It is reported that a month-long leak near

the Otugewe community has spilled

800,000 barrels of crude oil from a Shell

pipeline, resulting in ecological

devastation. Villagers claim that the

corrosion and leak have been blamed on

sabotage by the oil company, which, under

Nigerian law, is therefore absolved from



1998 June





General Abacha dies and is succeeded by

General Abdusalem Abubakar, who

pledges to restore civilian rule and hand

over power to a democratically elected

government in May 1999.

General Abacha dies and is succeeded by

General Abdusalem Abubakar, who

pledges to restore civilian rule and hand

over power to a democratically elected

government in May 1999.









1998 May





A UN report on Nigeria accuses Nigeria

and Shell of abusing human rights, failing

to protect the environment in oil-producing

1998 15 April regions and calls for an investigation into

Shell. The report condemns Shell,

particularly in light of its ‗well armed

security force, which is intermittently

employed against protesters‘.









1998 March





Forty thousand barrels of light crude oil are

spilled into the Atlantic Ocean near Mobil‘s

primary facility in Eket. Mobil fails to

1998 January contain the spill, which reaches the shores

of Lagos, located 500km away. Vast

coastal areas are devastated.









1997 December







1997 October







1997 July







1997 May

1997 March





Between January and March Shell records

35 incidents of oil spills in its operations.



1997









1996 October







1996 June







1996 April







1996 March







1996 February





Under the Treason and Treasonable

Offences Decree, Ken Saro-Wiwa receives

1995 10 November

the death penalty. After a judicial process

full of irregularities, he is executed together









1995 June







1995 April







1995 March







1995 February

1995 January









1994 September









1994 August







1994 July





The Nigerian military establishes a task

force to suppress peaceful protests against

Shell by MOSOP. The task force is

1994 June permanently based in Ogoni, and by 2000

is estimated to have killed more than 2,000

Ogoni people and destroyed 27 villages.

Chief Abiola is arrested after proclaiming

himself president.

Ogoniland is placed under martial law by

President Abacha. According to human

1994 May

rights reports, thousands of Ogonis are

assaulted, raped, and murdered.



1993 21 November





General Sani Abacha seizes power and

abolishes political parties.



1993 17 November









1993 August







1993 July

Elections are cancelled by the military, as

preliminary results indicate a victory for

Chief Moshood Abiola.

1993 23 June









1993 12 June





In Bori, Rivers State, ‗Ogoni Day‘ is

declared by MOSOP. The event draws

1993 4 January

300,000 Ogonis – three-fifths of the state

population - and signals growing









Introduction of the Treason and

Treasonable Offences Decree, which is

used against the activists. While laying

1993 pipes for Shell Petroleum Development

Company in Ogoni farms, the oil company

Wilbros invites the military to Ogoniland.

Shell is forced to abandon oil production in

Ogoni.



1992 December







1992 October





Before the United Nations (UN), Ogoni

activist Saro-Wiwa presents a horrifying

1992

account of the environmental degradation

of Ogoni lands and health problems linked



1991 December







1991 October







1991 April





Ken Saro-Wiwa, in conjunction with other

Ogoni leaders, founds the Movement for

the Survival of Ogoni people (MOSOP).

1990 November

Ken Saro-Wiwa, in conjunction with other

Ogoni leaders, founds the Movement for

the Survival of Ogoni people (MOSOP).

1990 November









The chiefs and Ogoni people meet to sign

the Ogoni Bill of Rights. The major points

of the Bill are: clean up of oil spills,

1990 August reduction of gas flaring, fair compensation

for lost land, income, resources, life, a fair

share of profits gained from oil drilled at

their expense and self-determination.







1990 May





Whilst providing protection for Shell from

peaceful demonstrators in the village of

1990

Umeuchem, Ogoni, the police kill 80

people, destroying houses and vital crops.



1989 December







1989







1987







1986 February







1986 January







1985 October







1985 September





Ibrahim Babangida seizes power in a

bloodless coup and bans political activity.

The regime is dominated by Muslims from

1985 the north. The ban on political activity is

lifted in 1989.

Ibrahim Babangida seizes power in a

bloodless coup and bans political activity.

The regime is dominated by Muslims from

1985 the north. The ban on political activity is

lifted in 1989.









The Eleme community, Ogoniland, takes

Shell to court after the oil company fails to

clean up the environmental damage

1984 caused by a major oil spill in the region in

1970. No settlement is made.









Major-General Muhammad Buhari seizes

power in a bloodless coup.



1983 December









Alhaji Shehu Shagari is re-elected as

President despite accusations of

irregularities.

1983 August









The government expels more than one

million foreigners, mostly Ghanaians,

claiming they had overstayed their visas

1983 January and were taking jobs from Nigerians.

Despite international criticism, the move

wins domestic support.

Alhaji Shehu Shagari becomes the first

civilian President in 13 years.



1979









1978 September





Establishment of the Land Use Act by

which land for oil operations can be

appropriated for use by multinational oil

1978 corporations.









Mohammed is assassinated in a coup

attempt and is replaced by Lieutenant-

General Olusegun Obasanjo.

1976









Gowon is overthrown in a bloodless coup

and flees to the UK. He is replaced by

Brigadier Murtala Ramat Mohammed.

1975







M

I

L

I

T

A The export of oil becomes the main source

R of revenue for the Nigerian government.

Y

1974

I

N

T

E

R

V 1973

E

N

T

I

O

N

E

R

V

E

N

T Biafran leaders surrender, and the three

I regions are reintegrated into the country.

O The civil war leaves two million dead.

N 1970



A

N

D



C

I

V

Colonel Ojukwu, one of Gowon‘s military

I

governors, protests against the oil revenue

L

distribution and declares the secession of

1967 three eastern Ibo states as the Republic of

W

Biafra, sparking a civil war.

A

R

:



1

9

6

6 Ironsi is killed in a counter-coup and is

replaced by Lieutenant-Colonel Yakubu

T Gowon. Gowon restores the federal

O government, and appoints a military

1966 July

governor for each region.

1

9

7

6







Prime Minister Balewa is killed in coup.

Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi

1966 January

heads the new military regime. A rebel

officer, Major Isaac Boro, sets up the Niger



1963







1961





Nigeria gains independence from the UK

and becomes a republic three years later.

Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa

1960 leads a coalition government.

Crude oil in commercial quantity is found in

Oloibiri (Ijawland) in the Niger Delta.



1958









1954







1947





A League of Nations mandate gives part of

Kamerun, a former German colony, to

Nigeria.

1922









Britain consolidates its hold over the

Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. The

1861

north and south Protectorates unite.









Islam is introduced by the Arabs.







12th Century

Hausa states of Nigeria are created.







10th Century

From: Europa World Plus

Text by Richard Synge

Okah was extradited to Nigeria in February 2008 to face

additional charges, including treason.

After another attempt to organize a Delta conference in

December 2007, this time linked to leaders of key ethnic

communities, the political momentum slowed.

A new ‗action plan‘ for the Delta was announced in October.

Although not differing significantly from that which Obasanjo had

produced in 2004, it did offer substantial additional funding to the

NDDC (the Rivers State Government was already the wealthiest

in Nigeria, with a 2006 budget five times the average for other

states).

On 3 September the Angolan Government arrested Henry Okah,

a senior MEND leader, on charges of weapons-trafficking. In late

September MEND ended its cease-fire, warning that its attacks

on oil installations would continue until Okah‘s release.

Electoral reform was placed on the agenda in August 2007 with

the selection of a 22-member review panel. Also in August an

extensive management reorganization at the Nigerian National

Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was announced, and it was

On 4 June Yar‘Adua instructed Shell to cease operations in the

Ogoni territories in Rivers State, blaming its failure to develop a

sustainable relationship with the Ogoni community. Shell had in

fact ceased production from its Ogoniland wells in 1993, after

the initial outbreak of violent protests by Ogoni activists, and was

now judged negligent of its contractual obligations; the NNPC

assumed control of its installations in late June.

One month after his inauguration, Yar‘Adua published records

showing his personal assets and those of his wife—a gesture no

previous Nigerian head of state had made, and timely evidence

of his campaign commitments to show a ‗zero tolerance of









Yar‘Adua took office on 29 May 2007, his legitimacy undermined

by an election controversy that denied him a clear popular

mandate. Obasanjo‘s prominent campaign role and his

continuing position as chairman of the PDP‘s Board of

Trustees—with control over party finances—left him vulnerable

to being viewed simply as his predecessor‘s ‗puppet‘. Yar‘Adua‘s

unscheduled trip abroad during the campaign for medical

treatment also sparked rumours about his health. Although the

Obasanjo regime had left a positive economic legacy, notably

through the elimination of Nigeria‘s substantial external debt, the

agenda of urgent economic and political problems was

formidable. Buhari and Abubakar initially considered organizing

mass demonstrations to contest the results, but turned to the

courts instead. By June 2008 10 PDP governors had their

elections nullified by state-level tribunals (pending appeals) as

had several senators, including David Mark, the Senate‘s

treatment also sparked rumours about his health. Although the

Obasanjo regime had left a positive economic legacy, notably

through the elimination of Nigeria‘s substantial external debt, the

agenda of urgent economic and political problems was

formidable. Buhari and Abubakar initially considered organizing

mass demonstrations to contest the results, but turned to the

courts instead. By June 2008 10 PDP governors had their

elections nullified by state-level tribunals (pending appeals) as

had several senators, including David Mark, the Senate‘s

President and the person who would temporarily assume the

presidency if Yar‘Adua‘s own election had to be rerun.









In late May MEND declared a temporary cease-fire to encourage

the Government to signal its intentions. At the insistence of the

region‘s newly elected governors, and with pressure from

MEND, the NDPVF leader, Dokubo-Asari, was released on 14

June.

The possibility of a peace conference of Delta stakeholders was

raised but postponed. Jonathan, to whom Yar‘Adua had

delegated a leading role, visited the region in late June 2007 to

promise action, and the fragile truce continued. The principal

exception, a gun battle on the streets of Port Harcourt in mid-

August that resulted in more than 50 deaths, involved criminal

gangs enlisted into party networks during the April elections, and

With some oil companies reportedly considering a withdrawal

from their Nigerian operations due to security problems, the

Minister of Defence announced on 21 May that efforts would be

made to contract members of Niger Delta dissident groups to

provide protection for oil installations and pipelines. Interviewed

on television in late May, Yar‘Adua promised that the long-

delayed Delta conference would take place, but no date was

established.

Both rounds of elections, at state level on 14 April 2007 and at

federal level on 21 April, proved controversial, producing a

chorus of criticism from local and international observers and the

Nigerian press. The turn-out of 55% claimed by the INEC was

inconsistent with the reports of election monitors. Campaign

violence, including attempted or actual assassinations of

candidates, marred the elections in some areas. In 27 states,

various national and state legislative contests (and one

In mid-February 2007 the EFCC sent letters to all political

parties, listing 130 electoral candidates for various offices who

were liable to be charged with corruption; the list included Vice-

President Abubakar. The PDP agreed to replace 52 of its

candidates who appeared on the list, but Abubakar dismissed

the move as blackmail and won a series of legal rulings

permitting him to continue his campaign.

In mid-February 2007 the EFCC sent letters to all political

parties, listing 130 electoral candidates for various offices who

were liable to be charged with corruption; the list included Vice-

President Abubakar. The PDP agreed to replace 52 of its

candidates who appeared on the list, but Abubakar dismissed

the move as blackmail and won a series of legal rulings

permitting him to continue his campaign.

Following his expulsion from the PDP, although retaining the

post of Vice-President, Abubakar announced that he would

stand as a presidential candidate, and in November was

adopted by the newly formed Action Congress (AC).

Amid much speculation about the PDP‘s choice of a successor

to Obasanjo, the rift between President Obasanjo and Vice-

President Abubakar widened to the point of mutual public

recriminations. In September 2006 Obasanjo requested that the

A high-level conference to examine the basis of Nigeria‘s federal

structure and its democratic institutions opened in Abuja in

February 2005, under the chairmanship of Justice Niki Tobi and

Rev. Matthew Kukah. Disagreements arose over the modalities

A new group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger

Delta (MEND), claimed responsibility for a series of attacks,

starting in December, on oil installations near Port Harcourt and

kidnappings of foreign oil workers; the latter were normally

Following violent incidents in Port Harcourt in September,

international attention was attracted by the emergence of an Ijaw-

supported movement, the Niger Delta People‘s Volunteer Force

(NDPVF), under the leadership of Mujahid Dokubo-Asari. The

In February 2004 a joint Ijaw-Itsekiri peace committee

succeeded in reaching a preliminary peace agreement to allow

displaced families to return to their homes, but this was followed

by a renewal of hostilities in April, accompanied by an upsurge in

INEC‘s independence, and competence, were called into

question over the April–May 2003 state and federal elections.

Criticism from the Catholic Episcopal Commission forced the

INEC to improve the accuracy of the electoral register. But

during the elections themselves numerous irregularities were

reported, encouraging opposition parties to challenge the official

results later. Nevertheless, the PDP emerged with convincingly

large majorities, securing 213 seats in the House of

Owing largely to the influence of Vice-President Atiku Abubakar

in many northern and eastern states, Obasanjo was convincingly

reselected at a PDP conference in January 2003 as the party‘s

presidential candidate. The APP, now renamed the All Nigeria

Ethnic tensions were also high in several parts of the country

during 2001. In June there was serious fighting between the Tiv

and Azara communities in the Middle Belt state of Nassarawa,

following the assassination of a traditional Azara ruler. After

attacks by Tiv militia groups, Azara communities retaliated,

forcing the displacement of at least 35,000 Tiv villagers. In

neighbouring Benue State, in October, Tiv militia killed 19

members of the armed forces, provoking brutal reprisals from

Further unrest was precipitated in Kano in October, when, in

response to the first US bombardment of Afghanistan,

demonstrators burned British and US flags and clashed with

security forces, before rioting in the mainly Christian Sabon Gari

In early September violent conflict erupted between Christians

and Muslims in the principal Middle Belt city of Jos, in Plateau

State, where Shari`a law had not been adopted and where large

numbers of people had taken refuge from the anticipated

In June there was an outbreak of violent anti- Shari`a protests

(by Christians who burned down at least one mosque in the town

of Tafawa Balewa, Bauchi State).

The anticipated adoption of Shari`a law in a number of northern

states caused increasing religious tensions from December

1999 onwards. In Ilorin (Kwara State) 14 churches were burnt by

suspected Islamist fundamentalists. After news that the

application of Shari`a had commenced in Zamfara State in

February 2000, Christians in Kaduna city staged a

demonstration against the introduction of Islamic law there, but

skirmishes with Muslims rapidly escalated into widespread

Trouble in the Niger Delta region again erupted in November

1999, when the army was sent into Bayelsa State in response to

the killing of several policemen by Ijaw militants in Odi. Troops

burnt the town to the ground, killing many inhabitants and forcing

In October 1999 the Government brought murder charges

against Mohammed Abacha, the late ruler‘s son, and several

former senior military officers. Among the murders cited was the

assassination of Kudirat Abiola in 1996 and the suspected

murder of Shehu Musa Yar‘ Adua in detention in December

1997. Two retired Generals, Ishaya Bamaiyi and Jeremiah

Useni, the former Inspector-General of police, Ibrahim

Coomassie, and Abacha‘s head of security, Hamza al-









As civilian government returned, there was an upsurge in the

levels of inter-ethnic violence, first in Warri, where about 200

people were killed in early June 1999 during fighting between

three rival communities, and then in the following month, with

violent clashes between Hausa and Yoruba communities in

Lagos and Kano. Powerful interest groups who had previously

benefited from military rule appeared intent on exacerbating

ethnic tensions and thereby subverting the introduction of









In the transitional period prior to the installation of civilian rule on

29 May 1999, the outgoing administration approved a new

constitutional framework based on the 1979 Constitution (which

Obasanjo‘s first Government had adopted) and also issued

decrees designed to reinforce economic liberalization. The new

Constitution was formally promulgated on 5 May. Obasanjo was

inaugurated as President on 29 May, when the Constitution

came into effect; on taking office he initiated a major shake-up of

In the transitional period prior to the installation of civilian rule on

29 May 1999, the outgoing administration approved a new

constitutional framework based on the 1979 Constitution (which

Obasanjo‘s first Government had adopted) and also issued

decrees designed to reinforce economic liberalization. The new

Constitution was formally promulgated on 5 May. Obasanjo was

inaugurated as President on 29 May, when the Constitution

came into effect; on taking office he initiated a major shake-up of









At the party conventions in February 1999 Obasanjo was

nominated to contest the presidential election on behalf of the

PDP, with Atiku Abubakar as vice-presidential candidate, while

the AD–APP alliance adopted Olu Falae of the AD as its

candidate and the APP‘s Umaru Shinkafi as his running mate.

Falling public interest by the time of the National Assembly

elections on 20 February saw only 40% of the electorate

participating. The PDP secured 208 seats in the 360-member









Although the Ogoni activists were released in September 1998,

violent protests in the Niger Delta region continued into 1999.

The protests were most intense in Ijaw areas and underpinned

demands for compensation from the Government and the

petroleum companies. There were also clashes between the

Ijaw and the Itsekiri and other ethnic groups. Nigeria‘s daily

petroleum production was at times seriously affected by

occupations of petroleum installations, and abductions of oil

On 7 September 1998 the Government published the draft

Constitution that had been submitted by the NCC in June 1995.





In early August a new 31-member Federal Executive Council,

which included a number of civilians, was appointed, and an

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was also

established. Later that month INEC announced that local

In early July, following discussions with UN officials, the new

authorities agreed to release Abiola, who, on his release,

collapsed, and subsequently died. Rioting ensued, amid

widespread speculation that the authorities were responsible; an

On 8 June 1998 Abacha died unexpectedly in the presidential

residence in Abuja. Senior military officers, including the Chief of

Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and the Chief

of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, rapidly asserted their

authority, and Abubakar was designated as Abacha‘s successor.

The regime pledged to continue the Abacha Government‘s

transition to civilian rule. The UAD responded by urging

continued protests against the military Government. Abubakar

(who was promoted to the rank of General) was formally

installed as Head of State on 9 June 1998. The Secretary-

General of the Commonwealth subsequently announced that the

sanctions imposed against Nigeria would remain in force until

democratic elections took place.

sanctions imposed against Nigeria would remain in force until

democratic elections took place.









In the course of anti-Government protests in early May, violent

clashes between demonstrators and the security forces resulted

in at least seven deaths and numerous arrests. Attempts at

constructing a united pro-democracy alliance saw the formation









In early March 1998 the Government‘s political and business

supporters increased pressure for Abacha to be elected as a

civilian President. A rally was staged in Abuja, in which

thousands of people from around the country were transported









In December 1997, following the suspicious death of Maj. Gen.

Yar‘Adua in prison, it was reported that an assassination attempt

had occurred at Abuja airport against Abacha‘s deputy, Diya,

who was known to favour the military‘s complete withdrawal from

A CMAG report on Nigeria, prepared prior to the summit of

Commonwealth Heads of Government in October 1997,

criticized the Government‘s record on human rights and the

inadequacies of the planned transition to civilian rule. However,

In July the authorities announced a new electoral timetable, with

elections to the State Assemblies taking place in December and

those for the National Assembly the following April; presidential

and gubernatorial elections would occur in August. The absence

In May 1997 some 22 pro-democracy and human rights

organizations, including MOSOP and the CD, formed a loose

alliance, the United Action for Democracy (UAD), to campaign

for the restoration of democracy.

In March 1997 an Ijaw demonstration in Warri (Delta State), in

protest at the relocation of local government headquarters from

Ijaw to Itsekiri territory, precipitated violent clashes. Protesters

seized Shell installations and took some 100 employees









In October 1996 a further six states increased the federation to

36. The establishment was also announced of a committee of

economic representatives, chaired by the former Head of State,

Shonekan, to draft the Government‘s future policy for economic

In June 1996 Nigerian officials met the Commonwealth

Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), in an attempt to avert the

imposition of sanctions; shortly before the discussions took

place, the Government released a number of political prisoners,

In April a UN investigative mission invited by the Government

visited Ogoniland, where sizeable anti-Government

demonstrations had taken place; however, Ogoni activists and

other opposition representatives were prevented from meeting

In March 1996 local government elections on a non-party basis

took place as part of the transitional programme; although

opposition leaders had urged a boycott, the National Electoral

Commission of Nigeria (NECON) claimed a high level of voter

In February 1996 the 19 Ogonis appealed to the Commonwealth

for assistance in securing their release. In the same month the

South African administration denied accusations by Nigeria that

it had assisted exiled opponents of the Government.

At the end of October 1995 Saro-Wiwa and a further eight Ogoni

activists were sentenced to death by the special military tribunal;

six other defendants, including MOSOP‘s Deputy President,

were acquitted. Although the defendants were not implicated









In June 1995 about 40 people, including several civilians, were

arraigned before a special military tribunal in connection with the

alleged coup attempt in March; it was reported that Obasanjo

and Yar‘Adua had also been secretly charged with conspiring to

In April 1995 the NCC endorsed the constitutional proposals

approved in late 1994. At the end of that month, however, the

conference reversed its previous decision that a civilian

government be installed on 1 January 1996, on the grounds that

In March 1995 some 150 military officials were arrested,

apparently in response to widespread disaffection within the

armed forces. The authorities subsequently claimed to have

uncovered confirmed reports of a coup conspiracy, but reports

In February the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed Abiola‘s legal

action challenging the jurisdiction of the High Court in Abuja.

The trial of Saro-Wiwa and a further 14 MOSOP activists, on

charges of complicity in the murder of the four Ogoni traditional

leaders, commenced in mid-January 1995; the defendants

challenged the legitimacy of the special military tribunal, which

In September Abacha promulgated legislation that extended the

period of detention without trial to three months and prohibited

legal action challenging government decisions. The Minister of

Justice was subsequently dismissed, after protesting that he had

not been consulted regarding the new legislation.







In early August 1994 the trial of Abiola, who had been indicted

for ‗treasonable felony‘, was adjourned, pending a ruling

regarding a defence appeal that the High Court in Abuja had no

jurisdiction in the case of an offence that had allegedly been

In July 1994 NUPENG initiated strike action in support of dual

demands for Abiola‘s release and installation as President, and

an increase in government investment in the petroleum industry;

the strike was subsequently joined by the senior petroleum

In early June 1994 members of the former Senate (including its

President) were detained on charges of treason, after the

senators reconvened and declared the Government to be illegal.

A number of prominent opposition members, including Dr Beko

Ransome-Kuti, were also arrested, after the CD urged a

campaign of civil disobedience, which received the support of

NADECO. (Ransome-Kuti was subsequently charged with

treason.) Following a symbolic ceremony, in which Abiola was









On 21 November Abacha introduced legislation that formally

restored the 1979 Constitution and provided for the

establishment of the new government organs. In an apparent

attempt to counter domestic and international criticism, several

On 17 November 1993, following a meeting with senior military

officials, Shonekan announced his resignation as Head of State,

and immediately transferred power to Abacha (confirming

speculation that Abacha had effectively assumed control of the

Government following Babangida‘s resignation). On the following

day Abacha dissolved all organs of state and bodies that had

been established under the transitional process, replaced the

State Governors with military administrators, prohibited political









In August the CD continued its campaign of civil disobedience in

protest at the annulment of the election, appealing for a three-

day general strike (which was widely observed in the south-west

of the country, where Abiola received most popular support).

In early July 1993 a demonstration, organized by the CD, led to

rioting, prompted by resentment at political developments, in

conjunction with long-standing economic hardship. Order was

subsequently restored, after security forces violently suppressed

On 23 June 1993 the NDSC declared the results of the election

to be invalid, halted all court proceedings pertaining to the

election, suspended the NEC, and repealed all decrees relating

to the transition to civilian rule. New electoral regulations were

introduced that effectively precluded Abiola and Tofa from

contesting a further presidential poll. Babangida subsequently

announced that the election had been marred by corruption and

other irregularities, but insisted that he remained committed to

The rate of participation in the presidential election on 12 June

1993 was low but international monitors throughout Nigeria

reported that it had been conducted relatively peacefully. Two

days later initial results, released by the NEC, indicated that of









In December 1992 the bicameral National Assembly was

formally convened in Abuja. On 2 January 1993 the NDSC and

Transitional Council were duly installed. The 14-member NDSC

was chaired by Babangida, and the Transitional Council was

On 6 October 1992 the AFRC summarily suspended the results

of the presidential primaries, and when the NEC reported

malpractices Babangida cancelled them. The presidential

election (scheduled for 5 December) was postponed until 12

In early May 1992 widespread rioting in protest at sharp

increases in transport fares (resulting from a severe fuel

shortage) culminated in a number of demonstrations demanding

the resignation of the Government, which were violently

In December 1991 the seat of federal government was formally

transferred from Lagos to Abuja, which was to be administered

by a municipal council. In the gubernatorial and state assembly

elections, which took place on 14 December, the SDP gained a

On 19 October primary elections took place to select candidates

for the forthcoming gubernatorial and state assembly elections.

In November, however, following allegations of electoral fraud on

the part of both the NRC and the SDP, results were annulled in

April 1991 a number of demonstrations by Muslims in the

northern state of Katsina, in protest against the publication of an

article considered to be blasphemous, culminated in violence. In

the same month some 130 people, mainly Christians, were killed

In October 1990 the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni

People (MOSOP) was formed to co-ordinate opposition to the

exploitation of petroleum reserves in the territory of the Ogoni

ethnic group (Ogoniland), in Rivers State, by the Shell Petroleum

Development Co of Nigeria. Following demonstrations,

organized by MOSOP, in protest at alleged environmental

damage caused by petroleum production, some 80 Ogonis were

killed by security forces.

In October 1990 the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni

People (MOSOP) was formed to co-ordinate opposition to the

exploitation of petroleum reserves in the territory of the Ogoni

ethnic group (Ogoniland), in Rivers State, by the Shell Petroleum

Development Co of Nigeria. Following demonstrations,

organized by MOSOP, in protest at alleged environmental

damage caused by petroleum production, some 80 Ogonis were

killed by security forces.









The election of officials from the SDP and NRC to local

government councils was held in May 1990. In July more than

44,000 delegates, representing the two political parties, elected

party executives for each state. The administration of the SDP

In April 1990 an abortive coup by junior officers from the Middle

Belt, who attempted to seize Dodan Barracks in Lagos, was

suppressed by the joint efforts of Abacha and Babangida. The

coup attempt resulted in even tighter presidential control of the

In December the NEC published the draft constitutions and

manifestos of the SDP and the NRC. In the same month

Babangida carried out a major cabinet reshuffle, in which he

assumed the defence portfolio, while Abacha was appointed

In early May 1989 the ban on political parties was lifted, and the

Constitution was promulgated, with the intention that it would

come into force in October 1992. Elections for the Government

of the Third Republic were to be contested by only two

In July 1987, after receiving recommendations from the political

bureau, the AFRC announced that power was to be transferred

to a civilian government in 1992, two years later than envisaged.



In February 1986 Babangida announced that Nigeria‘s

application for full membership of the Organization of the Islamic

Conference (OIC) had been accepted; ensuing unrest among

the non-Muslim sector of the population reflected alarm at

In January Babangida announced that the armed forces would

transfer power to a civilian government on 1 October 1990.





Babangida declared a state of national economic emergency

and assumed extensive interventionist powers over the economy.





Babangida, with the support of Maj.-Gen. Sani Abacha, the Chief

of Army Staff, removed some 40 senior officers, some of whom

faced military tribunals and were executed.



In August 1985 Buhari‘s regime was deposed in a peaceful

military coup, led by Maj.-Gen. (later Gen.) Ibrahim Babangida,

the Chief of Army Staff, who was named as the new Head of

State. The SMC was replaced by a 28-member armed forces

ruling council (AFRC), which comprised military personnel. The

post of Chief of Staff at supreme military headquarters was

replaced by that of Chief of the General Staff within the AFRC, a

position that carried no responsibility for actual control of the

In August 1985 Buhari‘s regime was deposed in a peaceful

military coup, led by Maj.-Gen. (later Gen.) Ibrahim Babangida,

the Chief of Army Staff, who was named as the new Head of

State. The SMC was replaced by a 28-member armed forces

ruling council (AFRC), which comprised military personnel. The

post of Chief of Staff at supreme military headquarters was

replaced by that of Chief of the General Staff within the AFRC, a

position that carried no responsibility for actual control of the









On 31 December 1983 Shagari was deposed in a bloodless

military coup, led by Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, a former

military Governor of Borno and Federal Commissioner for

Petroleum during 1976–78. All political parties were banned,

FEDECO was dissolved, and all bank accounts were temporarily

`frozen‘. The structure of the new regime, similar to that of the

military Governments of 1975–79, comprised a reconstituted

SMC, headed by Buhari. A National Council of States, with a









The elections, which were contested by the six political parties,

took place in August–September 1983. In the presidential poll

Shagari was returned for a second term, receiving 47% of the

total votes cast. The NPN attained a decisive majority in the

elections to the Senate (60 seats out of 96) and the House of

Representatives (264 seats out of 450), and won 13 of the 19

state governorships. However, allegations of widespread

electoral malpractice on the part of the NPN resulted in litigation

At elections to the new bicameral National Assembly, and for

State Assemblies and State Governors, which took place in July

1979, the NPN received the most widespread support, securing

37% of the seats in the House of Representatives, 36% in the

State Assemblies, and 38% in the Senate, and winning seven of

the 19 state governorships. In the presidential election, which

took place in August, Shagari obtained the mandatory 25% of

the vote in 12, rather than 13, of the 19 States. Following legal

The ending of the state of emergency in September 1978 was

accompanied by the lifting of the ban on formal activity by

political parties. By November more than 50 political groupings

had emerged. In the event, however, of the 19 associations that

Contitution promulgated in September 1978.









Muhammed was assassinated in February 1976 by disaffected

army officers, who demanded the reinstatement of Gen. Gowon.

Power was transferred to Muhammed‘s deputy, Lt-Gen. (later

Gen.) Olusegun Obasanjo, the Chief of Staff at supreme military

headquarters. As Head of State, Obasanjo pledged to fulfil his

predecessor‘s programme for the return to civilian rule by

October 1979.









July 1975 Gowon was forcibly `retired‘ and was succeeded as

Head of Government by Brig. (later Gen.) Murtala Ramat

Muhammed. He proceeded to order major administrative

changes, including the creation of new states, bringing the total

from 12 to 19.









October 1974 Gowon announced that the return to civilian rule,

scheduled for 1976, had been indefinitely postponed, on the

grounds that a government plan for socio-economic

reconstruction had not been fulfilled.









Following the collapse of `Biafra‘, Gowon implemented a

strategy of reconciliation, which was seriously impeded by the

failure of the national population census, conducted in 1973, to

produce credible results; the census purported to show a near

The military Governor of the Eastern Region, Lt-Col

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, under pressure from senior

Ibo civil servants, announced the secession of the Eastern

Region, and in May 1967 proclaimed its independence as the

`Republic of Biafra‘. In July federal forces launched a massive

attack and naval blockade, and in the ensuing civil war between

500,000 and 2m. `Biafran‘ civilians died, mainly from starvation,

before the surrender of `Biafran‘ forces in January 1970.









January 1966 Tafawa Balewa‘s Government was overthrown by

junior (mainly Ibo) army officers; Balewa was killed, together with

a number of other ministers. Maj.-Gen. (later Gen.) Johnson

Aguiyi-Ironsi, the Commander-in-Chief of the army and an Ibo,

In October 1963 the country was renamed the Federal Republic

of Nigeria, remaining a member of the Commonwealth. Azikiwe

took office as Nigeria‘s first (non-executive) President.



In June 1961 the northern section of the neighbouring UN Trust

Territory of British Cameroons, formerly part of the German

protectorate of Kamerun, was incorporated into Nigeria‘s

Northern Region as the province of Sardauna.

On 1 October 1960 the Federation of Nigeria achieved

independence, initially as a constitutional monarchy, with Tafawa

Balewa as Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In 1954 the federation became self-governing, and, following

elections to a federal legislature in 1959 in which the NPC

obtained the largest representation, a bicameral federal

parliament was formed in January 1960.

United Kingdom introduced a new Nigerian Constitution,

establishing a federal system of government, based on three

regions: Eastern, Western and Northern. The federal

arrangement sought to reconcile regional and religious tensions,

Synge

In June 2008 the Government launched a US $3,500m. case

against Pfizer, the world‘s largest pharmaceutical company, for

carrying out illegal drug trials in Kano. A massive building contract

for new health clinics was cancelled, and the sale of two state-









Yar‘Adua‘s transition team was headed by Dr Aliyu Modibo, a

seasoned politician at national level; Baba Kingibe, a former

diplomat and Abiola‘s running mate in the annulled 1993 elections

(who subsequently served Gen. Abacha as both Foreign and

Interior Minister) became Secretary to the Government. Maj.-Gen.

(retd) Abdullahi Mohammed, Obasanjo‘s Chief of Staff and political

‗gatekeeper‘ since 1999, was retained. The appointments of key

military officials that Obasanjo made two days before stepping

down were also upheld, including Gen. Owoye Andrew Azazi as

Chief of Defence Staff and Gen. Luka Nyeh Yusuf as Chief of Army

Staff. Yar‘Adua did, however, retire 13 senior generals, including

the commanders of four of the army‘s five divisions. Yar‘Adua‘s

caution was also evident when his new Cabinet was announced.

Only two of the 39 ministers were identifiable as close allies,

although only four of Obasanjo‘s ministers survived in the new

ministerial team. Yar‘Adua‘s pledge to create a ‗government of

military officials that Obasanjo made two days before stepping

down were also upheld, including Gen. Owoye Andrew Azazi as

Chief of Defence Staff and Gen. Luka Nyeh Yusuf as Chief of Army

Staff. Yar‘Adua did, however, retire 13 senior generals, including

the commanders of four of the army‘s five divisions. Yar‘Adua‘s

caution was also evident when his new Cabinet was announced.

Only two of the 39 ministers were identifiable as close allies,

although only four of Obasanjo‘s ministers survived in the new

ministerial team. Yar‘Adua‘s pledge to create a ‗government of

national unity‘ bore fruit when the ANPP accepted two ministerial

posts. The new President continued Obasanjo‘s precedent by

assuming responsibility for the energy portfolio, committing his

Government to prioritizing the country‘s frequent power and fuel

shortages. An early initiative in this sector—to increase the price of

vehicle fuel—provoked a disruptive (and costly) four-day general

strike in late June 2007.









In his inauguration speech, Yar‘Adua had recognized that his

ambition to see Nigeria‘s petroleum output nearly double to 4.0m.

barrels per day by 2010 required a solution to the Niger Delta

unrest, which, since late 2005, had become increasingly disruptive.

The choice of Jonathan, a former Bayelsa State governor, as his

Vice-President indicated a new political resolve. Prior to the

elections there had been an escalation of attacks on oil

installations and incidents of hostage taking, and these intensified

in early May 2007. MEND claimed responsibility for much of this

activity, although several other groups were active by this time.

Requiring at least 25% of the vote in two-thirds of the states, Yar-

Adua secured a landslide victory with 70% of the vote; Buhari

received 18.6% and Abubakar 7.2%, while 21 other candidates

shared the rest. The PDP also emerged comfortably from the

legislative contests, winning 263 of 360 seats in the House of

Representatives and 87 of 109 in the Senate. The ANPP captured

63 and 14, respectively, while Abubakar‘s AC gained 30 House

seats and six in the Senate. The remaining places were taken by

As the April elections approached, the PDP, a formidable alliance

of political and business interests drawn from across the country,

emerged as the best financed of the parties, the only serious

competition coming from the ANPP; the AC‘s campaign was

hampered by INEC‘s repeated attempts to block Abubakar‘s

candidature, which was eventually approved by a high court ruling

shortly before the election. A ‗granite alliance‘ between the two

opposition parties, long under negotiation, was eventually

formalized on 10 April, but was too late to influence the campaign.

As the April elections approached, the PDP, a formidable alliance

of political and business interests drawn from across the country,

emerged as the best financed of the parties, the only serious

competition coming from the ANPP; the AC‘s campaign was

hampered by INEC‘s repeated attempts to block Abubakar‘s

candidature, which was eventually approved by a high court ruling

shortly before the election. A ‗granite alliance‘ between the two

opposition parties, long under negotiation, was eventually

formalized on 10 April, but was too late to influence the campaign.

The ANPP again selected Buhari as its candidate. After much

manoeuvring behind the scenes, the PDP chose as its candidate

Umaru Musa Yar‘Adua, the Katsina State Governor since 1999 and

the younger brother of the late Shehu Musa Yar‘Adua. A Niger

When the conference closed in July, it had established little more

than general principles regarding the right of oil-producing areas to

be actively involved in the management of their resources. It

recommended an increase in the level of derivation from 13% to

The threat of greater turmoil prompted President Obasanjo to invite

Dokubo-Asari to Abuja for peace talks in October, when it was

agreed that the NDPVF would disarm and demobilize its

supporters. Although some weapons were relinquished, the

The influence of the military establishment on the course of

Nigerian politics was again demonstrated in the political

manoeuvrings that preceded the state and federal elections, held in

April–May 2003. Most of the larger parties chose well-known

former military figures as their presidential candidates. The

patronage of former President Babangida was also detected

behind the formation of several new political parties (the INEC

registered 22 new organizations by the end of 2002). Within the

The Shari`a issue not only dominated the political climate after

2001, but also complicated the relationship between the presidency

and the divided National Assembly as well as between the states

and the Federal Government. Although the Obasanjo

A potential challenge to the new Constitution arose in late 1999

with the proposed adoption of Muslim Shari`a law as the state legal

system for substantial parts of the north. Zamfara was the first

state to take this measure with the proclamation of Shari`a by its

Governor, Ahmed Sani Yerimah. Despite pressure for a legal

challenge, President Obasanjo did not declare it to be

unconstitutional, indicating that he did not intend to alienate

powerful northern interests represented in the PDP.

With increasing tensions, there were renewed demands for the

convening of a sovereign national conference, especially by the

more militant associations, such as the OPC and the Ijaw Youth

Congress. Other ethnic or regional organizations, such as those

Abubakar also initiated discussions with opposition groupings,

including those most critical of military rule. JACON activists

refused to accept any continuation of military rule. NADECO

leaders insisted on the immediate formation of a government of

In April 1994 the Government announced its proposals for the

establishment of the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) to

submit recommendations, including a new draft constitution, to the

PRC in late October. A further stage in the transitional programme

would commence in mid-January 1995, when the ban on political

activity was to end. In May 1994, however, a new pro-democracy

organization, comprising former politicians, retired military officers

and human rights activists, the National Democratic Coalition









As the new Head of State, Shonekan pledged his commitment to

the democratic process, and, in an effort to restore order, initiated

negotiations with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and effected

the release of several journalists and prominent members of the

CD. In early September the NLC and the National Union of

Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) provisionally

suspended strike action, after the ING agreed to consider their

demands. A series of military appointments, which included the









At the end of July 1993 Babangida had announced that an Interim

National Government (ING) was to be established, on the grounds

that there was insufficient time to permit the scheduled transition to

civilian rule on 27 August. A committee, comprising officials of the

[ National party congresses had taken place, as scheduled, during

27–29 March 1993: the NRC selected Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa,

an economist and businessman, to contest the presidential

election, while Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, a









In elections to the National Assembly, which took place on 4 July

1992, the SDP gained a majority in both chambers, securing 52

seats in the Senate and 314 seats in the House of

Representatives, while the NRC won 37 seats in the Senate and









[ In September 1991 the Government created nine new states,

increasing the size of the federation to 30 states, in an attempt to

ease ethnic tensions prior to the elections. However, violent

demonstrations took place in several states where the Government

[ Following the April 1990 coup attempt, Babangida announced that

the presidency would be restructured in order to prepare for the

transition to civilian rule, and that the size of the armed forces

would be substantially reduced. In September, in an attempt to

[ In October 1989, following the recommendation by the NEC of six

of the 13 associations to the AFRC, Babangida announced that the

AFRC had decided to dissolve all 13, on the grounds that they

lacked distinctive ideologies, and were allied to discredited civilian

[ In September 1987 the number of states was increased from 19

to 21 and the AFRC proscribed all categories of former politicians

and its own membership from contesting elections in 1992. In

addition, the AFRC inaugurated a constitutional review committee









[ In May about 15 people, mostly students, were shot dead by

police during demonstrations at the Ahmadu Bello University, in

Zaria, and a ban was imposed on further demonstrations.

Babangida subsequently established a national commission to









[ Although formal negotiations with the IMF for financial support

were suspended, preparations were made during 1986 for the

introduction of a structural adjustment programme, which received

strong support from the World Bank. ]

[ By the early 1980s it was widely believed in Nigeria that the

federal democracy was a façade, which allowed NPN politicians,

dominated by a powerful political community in Kaduna, to

distribute contracts and rewards in order to ensure their own

continuation in power. In order to reinforce its power on the federal

legislature, the NPN formed an alliance with Azikiwe‘s NPP, which,

however, was dissolved in July 1981. The NPP then established a

coalition, known as the Progressive Parties‘ Alliance (PPA), with

the UPN, the major opposition party, thereby engendering further

realignments in the parties that had fought the 1979 elections. The

PRP and the GNPP split, with some of their members joining the

PPA, while others aligned themselves with the Government.

In 1982, in preparation for the elections of the following year,

FEDECO was reconstituted and given extensive powers. FEDECO

subsequently approved the National Advance Party (NAP), led by

the radical Lagos lawyer Tunji Braithwaite. As campaigning began,

the NPN used its entrenched position and financial influence to

ensure its return to office. In May the Government granted a

pardon to Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the former `Biafran‘ leader, who

returned to Nigeria after more than 12 years in exile, and later

[ The best prepared of the five parties was the Unity Party of

Nigeria (UPN), led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a prominent

member of Gowon‘s junta and of the Yoruba community. The

National Party of Nigeria (NPN) included such veteran NPC

[ During 1976 legislation to reform the structure of local

government was introduced, and a Constituent Assembly was

created in August 1977 to draft the new Constitution. This was duly

promulgated in September 1978. It envisaged an executive

[ Nigeria‘s regional rivalries were reflected in the federal armed

forces; most of the quota of personnel recruited from the north

came from the Middle Belt of the Northern Region and were

opposed to the NPC and to Hausa-Fulani dominance. Ibo from the

[Politically, the Eastern Region was dominated by the National

Council for Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), led by Dr Nnamdi

Azikiwe, with mainly Ibo support. The leading political entity in the

Western Region was the Action Group (AG), led by Obafemi

[ The largest region in the country, the Northern Region, was

dominated by the Northern People‘s Congress (NPC). The NPC

represented the traditional and mercantile Hausa-Fulani élite; its

nominal leader was the premier of the Northern Region, the