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12/06/2004:

"Nigerian Villagers Seize Shell Oil Platforms"

Hundreds of unarmed Nigerian villagers, including women and children, seized three oil platforms operated by Shell and ChevronTexaco yesterday, shutting 90,000 barrels a day of production in a jobs dispute.
Members of the Kula community in the southeastern Rivers state occupied the platforms without causing any injuries and had yet to make any demands, company spokesmen said.

"Youths from the Kula community attacked some of our facilities today and forcefully shut them down," a Shell spokesman said, adding that it had shut 70,000 barrels per day, or bpd, at the Ekulama I and II flow stations.

"Reports indicate that there were 300 people, including men, women and children," a ChevronTexaco spokesman added. The US-based company shut 20,000 bpd at Robertkiri.

...Millions of impoverished inhabitants of the Niger Delta, largely abandoned by their government, feel they should benefit more from the huge wealth being pumped from their tribal lands.

"The people were not armed. They just came in large numbers. We still have to find out if they have a genuine grievance," said a senior Nigerian oil industry source.
Full Article: guardian.co.uk

And what might a 'genuine grievance' be?