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LAGOS. — The Niger Delta Avengers could present a bigger problem to Nigeria than the deadly terror perpetrated by the Islamic militant Boko Haram sect, an international security think-tank has said.

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS), based in Johannesburg, South Africa, pointed out since the beginning of this year, the armed militant group has been attacking oil facilities in the country’s oil-rich Niger Delta. The violence has shut down several oil wells, claimed dozens of lives and forced major companies such as Shell and Chevron to evacuate staff and halt production in some areas. It’s also had a devastating impact on production, with Nigeria’s output of crude is at a 22-year low.

Martin Ewi, a senior researcher at the ISS, noted sustained attacks on oil facilities will affect production and the cost of petrol.

“Prices will rise, and Nigeria will have to start importing petrol more than it does now. This might also lead to mass protests, which could destabilise the whole country. Nigeria simply can’t afford to sustain this insurgency for the same amount of time as it has done with Boko Haram,” said Ewi. Ewi said already, however, there were signs that this insurgency would be even harder to contain than previous outbreaks of violence in the Niger Delta. He said some developments were particularly ominous as far as president Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was concerned. — CAJ News