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Article: From Boom to Bust in Nigeria; Violent Crime Widens Port Harcourt's Vast Economic Divide
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- September 14, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Uche was the triggerman for his gang of thieves. When gang
members stole oil from pipelines or cellphones from passersby, he
made sure no one got in their way.
Early this year, Uche, who gave only his first name, decided to
look for legitimate work. After a few difficult months scraping by,
he returned to stealing oil, this time with neighborhood friends. At
night, they would travel up one of the hundreds of creeks outside
the city to the pipelines, siphon off crude oil, and move it by boat
to larger vessels and refineries outside Nigeria.
His former gang found out and came looking for him. They broke
his fingers, which are still misshapen, and inflicted burns up and
down his arms. "I'm ...