Nigerians say Chevron attacked 2 villages

By Elise Ackerman Mercury News (password required user utjpress@uncommonthought.com, pass: utjpress1)

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San Ramon Company Denies Charges In Federal Lawsuit on Unrest Around Oil Facilities in Niger Delta

The Nigerian navy captain gave Chevron his bill: 15,000 naira, about $165, for responding to ``attacks from Opia village against security agents.''

Within 24 hours, Chevron paid up. However, it would be years before the San Ramon energy company would acknowledge its role in the January 1999 destruction of Opia and another small village called Ikenyan in Nigeria's oil-rich delta.

The receipt for the raid, which left four villagers dead and nearly 70 missing and presumed dead, came to light this summer as part of a federal lawsuit filed in San Francisco on behalf of the Nigerian villagers.

Chevron has denied any responsibility for the deaths or injuries. Charles Stewart, a Chevron spokesman, said the payment to the captain reflected "a longstanding industry practice of paying a small amount for each day" to military personnel who protected "the people and the property of the oil companies located in the Niger Delta."

The receipt's appearance comes at a ticklish time for Chevron. It has offered $17 billion to buy Unocal, an oil-and-gas exploration company, and had used China's human rights record to lobby against a competing bid by CNOOC, China's third-largest oil producer.

Posted by rowan at August 3, 2005 5:18 PM | [eMail this article!] |