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Nigerian Protesters Occupy Chevron Site
By KATHARINE HOURELD
Associated Press Writer

Protesters armed with machetes occupied a Chevron oil installation in southern Nigeria on Monday, forcing a shutdown of the facility, officials said.

Chevron Corp. spokesman Femi Odumabo said the Ebite flow station pumps 42,000 barrels a day in the west of the oil-rich Niger Delta region.

No one was injured during the seizure and there was no damage to the flow station, Odumabo said. He said the intruders were still occupying the site, but he declined to discuss the demands or numbers of the protesters, who included residents of the area.

A private security contractor who was not authorized to speak to reporters said dozens of protesters were armed with machetes but there were no firearms visible.

Community protests are common in the Niger Delta, where people are deeply poor despite the region's output of billions of dollars in oil every year.

Corrupt government officials often steal money intended for social projects such as roads or clinics, and oil companies have been forced to become service providers to continue operating without disruption.

Disputes also often occur over compensation paid to villagers whose fishing or farming grounds have been polluted by oil spills. Oil companies claim many spills are the result of thieves illegally tapping into pipelines to siphon off crude oil to sell.

Nigeria is Africa's largest oil exporter and is the fifth largest supplier of crude to the United States.


Copyright © 2007, The Associated Press