http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/1881897878

Nigeria's oil war

'The Force', a well organized crime gang has become a key player in the world's most strategically important industry; oil. The vast Niger Delta where they operate holds an estimated three percent of the world's oil, and to the U.S. it is a vital alternative to the oilfields of the Middle East; worth US $30 billion per year. The Force wants a share for the people of the Niger Delta. As their leader, Al Haji Asari Dokubo admitted to Campbell, the gang has brazenly stolen oil straight out of pipelines owned by some of the world's biggest multinationals. Called 'bunkering', the practice is costing Western oil companies hundreds of millions in lost revenue each year. But if gangs like the Force are threatened, they can disrupt Nigeria's oil supply with ease. Recently the price of oil rose to a record $50 a barrel when the market panicked after Asari threatened to cut-off the flow of oil. Not that the government of Nigeria seems overly concerned about cleaning up the industry, or using its massive oil wealth to help the people - some believe that they're the biggest gang of all. "People have now grown to the situation where they do not believe anything that the government stands for", Nigerian human rights lawyer Ledum Mittee told Foreign Correspondent, "instead of the oil becoming a blessing, it now becomes a curse"

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