For Immediate Release
Contact: John Edgell or Souheila Al-Jadda
(202) 225-5587

Tuesday, March 9, 1999

New Information about US Oil Company's Role in Escalating Violence in Nigeria Prompts Call for Congressional Investigation

House Members Urge Congressional Investigation into 
Killings of Nigerian Pro-Democracy Activists

Washington, DC -- In light of new information about direct collaboration between Chevron and Nigerian security forces in the continuing repression of protesters in Nigeria's Delta region, Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) and several members of Congress are calling for a congressional investigation into the allegations of killings of innocent Nigerian civilians, human rights abuses and harassment of environmental activists by Nigerian security forces with the help of Chevron, a U.S.- based oil company.

Representative Kucinich, along with Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) called for the Congressional investigation in a letter to the chairman of the House International Relations Committee Ben Gilman:

"We believe that there is growing evidence that the U.S. oil companies are accepting extra-judicial killings and other human rights abuses as just another cost of doing business in Nigeria," the Kucinich letter says. "We would never wink at this sort of behavior by oil-backed military regimes in the Middle East or ethnic cleansing operations in Central Europe, and we can't tolerate it in Africa."

In a meeting with Kucinich last month, Chevron officials conceded that on May 28, 1998, Chevron's general manager for public affairs in Nigeria, Shola Omole, requested Nigerian troops and transported them by Chevron helicopter to its oil platform where about 200 demonstrators occupied the platform for three days. The activists were there in an effort to have the company negotiate their environmental and economic concerns.

Chevron acknowledged that its pilots operated the helicopters and that its chief of security accompanied the troops in the helicopters. The company also acknowledged that the protesters were unarmed. Chevron conceded that two unarmed youths were shot to death in this incident, but claimed that they were killed after trying to disarm the troops. However, Chevron has no forensic evidence to support this claim, while there is evidence to suggest the opposite may be true - namely, that the military shot the youths from behind. Chevron acknowledged that they held the bodies of the two youths for one month while they negotiated with the families of the deceased over the issue of compensation. Chevron only provided burial expenses, and did not admit to fault or liability in the killings.

In another incident, which Reuters, A.P., eyewitnesses, and Chevron officials all confirmed took place on January 4, 1999, Chevron again provided the helicopters, boats, and other hardware which the Nigerian security forces used to attack the villages of Opia and Ikiyan, resulting in the razing of the village and massacre of civilians. Four people were killed. At least 67 are missing and presumed dead. In conversation with

Congressman Kucinich, Chevron officials claimed this incident took place following a confrontation between armed villagers and security personnel at one of their oil rigs. They also claimed that their helicopters were commandeered by the military.

The issue was first brought to national attention by Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now! on September 30 1998. For their documentary, "Drilling and Killing," Democracy Now! producers Amy Goodman and Jeremy Scahill went to Nigeria and interviewed Chevron spokespeople there. At that time, Chevron acknowledged its role in transporting Nigerian troops which attacked unarmed protestors. Since then, however, Chevron denied any responsibility in the attacks. Chevron's admissions to Congressman Kucinich confirm the story reported by Democracy Now!, an award winning program.

The Niger Delta is home to some of the world's worst gas flares, oil spills, water and air pollution. Shell operates in 110 countries worldwide, but 40% of its spills have taken place in the Delta. A recent report in the Nigerian newspaper The Vanguard documents 29 Ijaw fishing villages devastated by recent spillage of 5,000 barrels of oil into rivers and creeks at various Shell locations. Oil drilling in the Delta is lucrative for the multinationals. It accounts for about 80% Nigeria's GDP and 95% of its foreign exchange and government budget. But oil revenues do not benefit the Delta's economy. Nigerian per capita income has dropped by a factor of ten since the transition to a virtually all-oil economy. Delta life expectancy is very low amid the contaminated water and disappearing fishstocks.

Environmental protesters in the worst affected areas, primarily in Ijaw territory, issued a declaration December 11, 1998 calling for negotiations, UN mediation and a halt to oil production until a peaceful settlement was reached. Delta citizens groups undertook nonviolent shutdown of gas flares and oil production in their territory, closing over 40 percent of capacity so far.

Historically, the threat of slowed oil production has tended to intensify government crackdowns, killing of environmental protesters and activist leaders in the Delta. This was the case in the Ogoni crisis of 1993 -1996 in which 2,000 Ogonis were killed and poet-activist Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed.

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