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Last Updated: Monday, November 15th, 2004 HOME | Previous Page
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Militant youths demand money from ships
By Uwakwe Abugu
Bureau Chief, Warri
Militant youths have devised means of extorting money from oil laden ships. Last Thursday a group of youths attacked
an ocean-going ship at Chanomi creek in Warri South-West Local Govrnment in Delta State. This has caused security
chiefs in Warri to make frantic efforts to prevent a bloody encounter.
It was gathered that each ship coming from Lagos to Warri with consignment of oil and owned by persons or establishments
other than the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is compelled by the militant youths to pay not less
than N200, 000.
Asked who these youths are, a source said, �well, they are fighters who have been part of those executing the wars
that have been fought in the past few years�.
Another source who was actually in contact with the militants that temporarily seized the ship whose name was given
as CM Spirit said, �as soon as we got information about the incident we got in touch with the boys and they left
the ship immediately and there has been no further incident since then�.
Although this source who did not want his name disclosed merely said he and other youth leaders got wind of the
incident, the truth appears to be that they were alerted by security chiefs who got the information soon after
the youths struck and were exploring all avenues to prevent the situation from degenerating.
Our source said, �private ships pay at least N200, 000 each time they get to the Delta waterways from Lagos on
their way to Warri �if it is indigenous firms that own the consignment of oil the ships are carrying, who among
the militant youths would go and waylay them and extort such money.
He added that �the youths are not even satisfied because those non-indigenous contractors that bring in the ships
are making a hell of money from the deal which indigenes of the oil producing areas are qualified to handle.
The youths that attacked CM Spirit on Thursday, it was revealed, actually wanted two things - the N200,000 ransom
and some fuel which they could also have sold to make more money but our source confirmed that the ship was not
carrying the product the youths hard targeted.
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