Nigeria: Petrol Corporation Denies Paying Militants

Posted to the web 24 July 2008 Iyobosa Uwugiaren Abuja Following a threat yesterday by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), to attack oil pipelines in the next 30 days to prove it had not received payment from the government to end its campaign, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has issued a statement confirming that it did not make the payment. The Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Alhaji Abubakar Yar'Adua, was quoted by several newspapers yesterday as saying that the company had paid militant groups $12 million (about N1.4 billion) to protect oil facilities, including Chanomi creek pipeline in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State. Yar'Adua was reported to have told the House of Representatives Committee on Finance probing revenue earnings and remittances to the Federal... [read full story]