The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) on Thursday evening boasted that it has been able to drop Nigeria’s oil production to 800,000 barrels per day (bpd) from 2 million, a claim which could not be independently confirmed.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, had earlier on Thursday claimed that Nigeria’s oil production had climbed to 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd), despite the continued attacks by militants in the restive Niger Delta region.
The NDA had vowed to bring the country’s “Oil production to Zero”.
The militant group in a statement signed by its Spokesperson, ‘Brig.Gen’ Murdock Agbinibo, Thursday said its war is on oil installations. It denied killing soldiers and civilians in an attack on a boat belonging to NNPC in Delta state.
“Even the Inhumane Nigeria soldiers are exempted, our war is on Oil installations not to take innocent lives. For the fact we can’t give Life, we also don’t have the power to take any life. But we (Avengers) are assuring the Families of the affected soldiers that we will bring the culprits to book.”
“When it’s time to face the military in combat let the whole world know that we won’t be the ones to throw the first punch.”
“This message is going to all groups parading themselves as freedom fighters. You can fight for your people without killing innocent souls NDA have proved it. we were able to drop Nigeria Oil production from 2million Barrels to just 800,000 barrels without killing a soul.”
“We are warning every group to follow our footsteps. The days of Killing and Kidnapping are over,” the group said.
Oil ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries met Thursday morning in Vienna.
Last month, output had fallen to 1.4 million bpd due to a string of militant attacks and an accident on the ExxonMobil platform exporting Qua Iboe, the country’s largest crude oil stream.
Despite the continued attacks, Kachikwu said Nigeria is targeting oil production of 2.2-2.3 million bpd for this year.
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