Tom, there's growing evidence of the growth of militant Ijaws in the Niger Delta. Mujahid Dokubo-Asari has pledged to step up his war against the oil companies and the Nigerian government. See this article and the accompanying pictures before you decide to fly too low over the rivers and mangrove swamps in the Niger Delta region.
Militant Ijaws
All Safety and Security consultants to the major helicopter operators should be aware of the potential level of risk to which their pilots could be exposed in the event of a malfunction causing an emergency landing in the riverine areas, or when landing at unprotected onshore landing sites. As the past has shown, they are also quite capable of taking over offshore installations. It's time the government and the operators started taking serious measures for the protection of all workers, including we helicopter pilots in Nigeria. As usual, however, until so may workers have left and the oil industry really starts to suffer, nothing will happen. Several years ago, when hijacking was fairly common, there was little publicity given to it (probably to protect the crews involved during negotiations for their release). It could easily start again. Any pilot considering coming to fly in Nigeria should ask his or her prospective employer what security measures they have in place, or propose to have in place for their security in the place of work and residence. I would guess that any such question will be met with a deafening silence.
