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Soldiers deployed to oil town

    ABIDJAN

    Armed soldiers have been deployed to the oil town of Warri in southern Nigeria’s Niger Delta to avert a possible outbreak of fighting between members of the Urhobo and Itsekiri communities, the ‘Vanguard’ reported on Tuesday.

    The Lagos daily said the deployment of the soldiers from an amphibious battalion based near Warri followed intelligence reports of an arms build-up among militant factions of both ethnic groups that fought late last month over plans by the state government to create new local government councils. It quoted a statement by the Delta State Police Command that arrests had already been made in connection with threats to peace in the town.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, this command has placed on red alert all its men and will deal ruthlessly with any person, no matter how highly placed, bent on fomenting trouble in Warri,” the police were quoted as saying.

    Warri, the main base of operations for oil multinationals in the west of the Niger Delta has been the scene of several outbreaks of intense fighting in the past three years between factions of the Ijaw, Urhobo and Itsekiri ethnic groups which inhabit the area. Over 2,000 people have been killed in the clashes.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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