Ogoni Protest Forces Pipeline to be Shut Down

A protest by Ogoni villagers at a major oil export pipeline complex in Nigeria has entered its fourth day.

Villagers from K-Dere occupied the pipeline hub at Bomu, which feeds the Bonny shipping terminal, and forced Shell to shut 150 000 barrels per day of output.
“The lines are still shut. They are not flowing. We locked up the place and slept here last night,” said Teddy Penedibebari, who is leading the protest. Shell, the biggest foreign oil operator in Nigeria, had said it was “ramping up production” on Wednesday, but confirmed that output was still down by 150 000 bpd on Thursday.
The Ogoni protesters are demanding contracts to supply Shell with goods and services. What about asking the company to clean up its pollution?