Death Of A Champion - Oil, Murder & Tragedy In Nigeria

Abiel Tabor (right) lifts the Nigerian title hours before his murder

The ongoing troubles in the Niger Delta region of Bayelsa State, Nigeria were tragically underlined this week with the murder of Abiel Tabor, Bayelsa United's championship winning captain.

Tabor was on his way home from celebrating with his team-mates after helping guide Bayelsa United to their first ever domestic league title, when he was ambushed and gunned down by armed robbers. He was 24 years old.

The sad news sent shockwaves through Nigerian football and the country as a whole. Sani Lulu Abdullahi, chairman of the Nigerian Football Federation, was left dumbfounded when news of the tragedy broke. "This is a huge shock. This was the same boy who received the trophy that his team won for the first time. How cruel can fate be!" Meanwhile, Bayelsa United chairman Victor Baribote expressed his own sadness. "It is painful to have lost such a player on a day when we ought to be celebrating our historic league win."

Earlier in the day Tabor led his team up to collect the Nigerian championship after Bayelsa had clinched a battling 2-2 draw against Warri Wolves at Oleh Township Stadium. Rival contenders Heartland FC's 1-0 defeat to Tornadoes meant Bayelsa were champions with 70 points. But plans for a week long title celebration were soon curtailed after the terrible news of Tabor's death filtered through.

Unfortunately, in the murky, violent region that is the Niger Delta the murder of Abiel Tabor cannot be seen an isolated incident. Just a few weeks prior two other Bayelsa United players were also killed, and over the last few years violence in the area has claimed the lives of literally thousands. Tabor had only weeks earlier buried his father, who too was murdered by bandits. It all raises serious question marks for FIFA regarding Nigeria's hosting of the U-17 World Cup later this year.

So why is Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta at large such a dangerously troublesome hotspot, for footballers and civilians alike?

Sweet crude

Problems in the Niger Delta region stem predominantly from the vast amounts of oil to be found and the huge associated riches available in Nigeria's so-called 'Oil Rivers.' Nigeria is Africa's largest producer of petroleum; some 2 million barrels a day are extracted in the Niger Delta alone. Oil accounts for a major proportion of the nation's export earnings (reportedly upwards of 80%).


Given the amount of black gold and consequently wealth around, one might expect the region to be highly prosperous. However this is far from the case. In fact the opposite is true. While multinational corporations and foreign based oil companies like Shell and Chevron prosper, local communities are forced to live with the twin perils of widespread poverty and desperate pollution.

Gas flaring, the process of burning off gas associated with oil extraction into the atmosphere, is a serious issue in Nigeria. Despite legislation outlawing the process, independent studies in 2004 estimated around 2.5 billion standard cubic feet of gas is flared every single day. The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) was named by Friends of the Earth as the country's single biggest gas flarer.

Nigeria therefore contributes more greenhouse gases to the Earth's atmosphere than the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa combined according to the World Bank, and for no beneficial reason at all. None of that gas is used as a fuel. The resulting changes in climate have proved immensely detrimental to the region, causing severe weather damage, increased risk of disease and food shortages. Respiratory problems like bronchitis and asthma are also massively on the rise.

MEND: mending the problems?

This environmental destruction coupled with huge social inequality has led to conflict and guerrilla activity. One such militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) recently called an 'all out war' on the government, demanding better reinvestment of oil wealth in order to safeguard the livelihoods of the region's peoples.

To achieve their goal MEND have sought to destabilise the region and make it less attractive to foreign investors. Bomb attacks, kidnappings and fierce violence are the organisation's chosen means to an end. Amidst the perpetual turbulence, a major crude oil pipeline run by Italian company Agip was also blown up this week. Crude oil shipments out of Nigeria have been severely limited due to MEND's actions.

MEND - Noble warriors or callous thugs?

On the face of it, MEND portray themselves as a political organisation aimed at reclaiming the oil to be found under the soil of their region, which they feel is continually exploited for foreign gain. Others, like The Economist, think differently:

"In fact, [MEND] it is more of an umbrella organisation for several armed groups, which it sometimes pays in cash or guns to launch attacks. Complicating matters, some army officers, as well as state-level officials, are accused of being in cahoots with the gangs, sharing the proceeds of oil thievery and other criminal ventures. Gun-running is believed to be a big source of MEND’s revenue, as is the oil siphoned from pipelines and sold to refineries overseas."

Whether one considers MEND to be a band of freedom fighters battling for the welfare of the people or simply a group of heartless bandits, what is clear is that many other militant groups are choosing to unite under their banner. This gives such gangs the mandate to ruthlessly serve their own ends while fronting as an auxiliary wing for MEND. Bayelsa State, for example, is not without it's share of armed gangs, and it is thought that such gangs were responsible for Tabor's death.

Can a resolution to the problem be found before Nigeria's scheduled hosting of the Under-17s World Cup in October? Almost certainly not. This is an ongoing struggle that will rage on. But FIFA should take serious note of MEND's worrying stance on the upcoming youth tournament. "The safety of international players and visitors can not be guaranteed due to the current unrest," MEND said in an e-mail urging FIFA to 'rethink' it's staging of the competition.

The death of Abiel Tabor is a real tragedy for a nation desperately trying to prove that, as defending champions, it can ably stage such a prestigious international tournament. The ongoing violence and bloodshed in the Niger Delta cannot and will not be solved very easily, but for now it has claimed the life of a young man, a captain - a champion, who should have been out celebrating the greatest day of his professional life.

Photo 2 courtesy of AuRoRiN & MoOoK on Flickr