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N600m Oil Spill Money: Village Head Kidnapped in ExxonMobil Host Community in Akwa Ibom

December 20, 2011

Gunmen believed to be militants have abducted Obong Daniel Afia, the Village Head of Iwuoachang community in Ibeno local government area.

Gunmen believed to be militants have abducted Obong Daniel Afia, the Village Head of Iwuoachang community in Ibeno local government area.

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Ibeno community is the host of ExxonMobil’s Qua Iboe oil export terminal and the Qua Iboe oil fields, with oil output in excess of 900 barrels per day.

The kidnappers struck at midnight and abducted the traditional ruler at gun point and took him away to an unknown destination.

Eyewitnesses at the traditional ruler’s compound said that the kidnappers numbered eight, and arrived in two speed boats in which they took away the chief through the creeks.  They said one of the speed boats abducted the chief, while the second served as an escort.

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Police sources in Ibeno confirmed the incident and said that the abduction is likely due to the agitation for the oil spill funds released by Mobil, the Nigerian unit of ExxonMobil

SaharaReporters sources said that Afia, who is the coordinator of Chiefs in Ibeno has been consulting with segments of the community on the N600 million share of the oil spill palliative funds from Mobil to its host communities in the past weeks.

ExxonMobil’s Nigeria unit reportedly paid N2 billion to its host communities in Ibeno, Onna, Eket and Esit Eket.  The issue of how to share it has been causing tension among the people, which may have been ExxonMobil’s strategy in the first place.

 

 

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