Niger Delta militants intensified their campaign against Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) yesterday, hitting its Afremo offshore oilfield and two other facilities in Rivers State.

The nation’s oil output may have further dipped by about 120,000 barrels per day over the attack, even though Shell said it was still computing the loss.

Afrema, which is 14 nautical miles off Forcados terminal, was attacked at about 4a.m.

It was the first time the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) would attack an offshore facility since the Niger Delta creeks battle with the military began on May 13.

The other facilities hit were Adamahiri at 2.30a.m., and Kula at 3a.m.

A statement by MEND’s spokesman Jomo Gbomo said: "Hurricane Piper Alpha lashed out at the Shell off-shore Afremo oil fields today, Sunday, June 21, 2009 at about 0400 Hrs, blowing up jacket A in the process.

"The structure is currently engulfed in fire."

SPDC spokesperson, Mr. Precious Okolobo confirmed in a telephone chat with our correspondent that three facilities were attacked in the company’s Eastern Operation.

Hear him: "There have been three attacks against installations in our Eastern Operations. Impact to facilities, environment and production is being investigated."

MEND said the oil War, code-named ‘Hurricane Piper Alpha’ unleashed its fury in Rivers State, Sunday, June 21, 2009, leaving in its wake two battered oil installations belonging to Anglo Dutch oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company.

"At about 0230 Hrs, the hurricane pounded the Shell major pipeline located at Adamakiri before moving on to another major Shell pipeline in Kula at 0300 Hrs. Both pipelines are located in Rivers State of Nigeria," Gbomo said.

Contacted, the Joint Task Force (JTF) Colonel Rabe Abubakar also confirmed the incident but said the pipelines were isolated and out of use in a narrow creek of the area, adding that the task force would unmask the masterminds and take action.

JTF said: "We condemn the incident (MEND’s Sunday’s attacks on Shell’s facilities in Rivers State). It is rather unfortunate, but the general public should know that it is because we have broken them (militants) and they are in disarray.

"The only way to express their anger and knowing full well that the places we are guarding are no- go areas, hence, the criminals in partnership with unpatriotic community’ members, have embarked on carrying out sabotage on some isolated pipelines that they are supposed to protect.

"Sooner than later, nemesis will surely catch up with them and people should not blame us, because we cannot fold our arms and allow them to continue with these unpatriotic acts."

Also yesterday, MEND hinted that it may attack facilities of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), which allegedly allowed the JTF the use of its Airstrip in Escravos Warri South West Local Government to attack Gbaramatu community.

A statement by the group, said, "We have been reliably informed that the Chevron Air Strip in Escravos was used by the military as a staging area for the jet fighters and helicopter gunships used in the attacks and bombing of civilian communities in Gbaramatu kingdom of Delta State.

"By allowing its facilities to be used in committing atrocities against the host communities where it drills oil and gas from, Chevron has repeated the same mistake by Shell against the Ogoni communities and will pay a price in double measure."

Abubakar, however, assured that law-abiding citizens and Chevron have nothing to fear, because, "even MEND knows that it can no longer face our troops in the Delta. So they look for isolated pipelines and others like that to attack and make propaganda."

He said the task force, contrary to propaganda by the militant group, was on top of the security situation stressing that whatever they do now is to seek relevance.

MEND claimed that it had unravelled how troops of the JTF allegedly cold-bloodedly murdered two persons shown on the video sharing website You Tube in 2008. It urged the Federal Government to investigate the incident.

"The murdered men in the You Tube video have been identified as Messrs Boma Green and Stanley Tamunobere Pepple, humble fishermen who come from Bonny Island of Rivers state.

"They were arrested and shot on August 8, 2008 on suspicion of being militant informants by the JTF even when they showed their catch and fishing tools as proof of their profession.

"Both men were shot in the legs to immobilise them before being taken to the Bonny Jetty base of the JTF. It was there that the soldiers sought the services of a camera man to video their "prized catch".

"After the shootings caught on tape, we were told Stanley did not die instantly and after appeals from some witnesses that the men are known fishermen they were then allowed to be taken away to the hospital.

"They were rushed in a private car to the Teme Clinic run by Doctors without Borders in Diobu, Port Harcourt where he died few hours later from the injuries inflicted by the gunshot wounds. Medical records are available. We also gathered that the JTF commander in charge of the Bonny area at the time was one Colonel Hassan," it added.