WARRI- THE five pipeline surveillance workers seized by the Joint Task Force, JTF, in the Niger Delta, last Friday, in connection with the bombing a Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, pipeline at Makaraba community, Gbaramatu clan, Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, have been released.

A security source told Vanguard that they released them on Wednesday evening.

Released were Samuel Emiko and Alfred Timedi, ( Itsekiri) and Isaac Edinde, Henry Arogboritse and Kelvin Mordi (Ijaw), arrested by soldiers while on surveillance duty for a contractor to Chevron.

Ijaw leader, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, who is among the leaders that raised dust over the arrest confirmed to Vanguard, “Yes, I am aware that they released them on Wednesday night, I want to thank you people in the media for crying out for us.”

“The released workers were asked to report next Wednesday,” a security source, who also confirmed their release, told our reporter.

He said: “The 19th Battalion, Nigerian Army, Koko, handed them over to the Delta State Police Command, Asaba, from where they moved them to Bayelsa State and released them on Wednesday.”

To avoid backlash against the company following a 72-hour ultimatum by its seven Gbaramatu-Ijaw host communities, top officials of Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, which facilitated their freedom, met with their families, Wednesday, in Warri, and assured them that the company was handling the matter.

omowolewa:
Just 72 hours and the military took the safest exit. Like its not the military holding on to Zakzaky in Zaria.


Now Government must dialogue or renegotiate the amnesty.
Honestly, government can be brutal but would not win until it looses the least oil platform, so let's talk.

jcflex:
Why is the communities crying more than the bereave.

If they are Chevron staffs as allege, Chevron knows what to do,

with the way this community is crying, am suspecting their is skeleton in their cupboard

amagunnerfan:
So Chevron have lost their voice and these idiots are now their spoke persons.

If the arrested quintet are truly not terrorists how come Chevron their supposed employers are not speaking?
NA need to arrest more people.

Tokety7:
These people are shameless fools. Surely the NA has the real criminals in their custody. Staffs of chevron indeed not recognised by the company itself. Staff my foot.

perp:
It is the duty of chevron to come out and make that claim not the communities.

crazymod:


continue deceiving yourself......
1. why Shell or cheveron hasn't issue any statement if the arrested are their staffs?
2. If they are chevron workers, what are they doing close to pipeline installation without the authorization of their employer (shell or chevron)
3. Any jobless youth or prostitute in oil producing region is always a shell worker.

Niger Delta communities are protecting militants the same way northerners and muslims protected boko haram initially.
Whatever, community is always the one to suffer more than the govt. they think they are deceiving.

razortruth:
What about those innocent ones they kill daily in both south east and south south and nobody, not even the bought over nigerian media reports ot writes it? Who still questions why US refused to sell the highly sophiscated attack war jet to this funny country?

DropShot:
Poor job by the JTF and the Army.

Shouldn't there be verifiable ways of confirming their identity before announcing them as terrorists?

freeze001:


It's just a messed up situation but the people must prevail against injustice from the government and foreign thieves!

DropShot:
Poor job by the JTF and the Army.

Shouldn't there be verifiable ways of confirming their identity before announcing them as terrorists?

otukpo:
When the villagers cried out, some people on this forum accused them of complicity.

It is not good to be a blind follower.