[1] The testimonies used in this paper were gathered by members of the Niger Delta Women for Justice (NDWJ), the Ijaw Council for Human Rights (ICHR), and myself during fieldwork undertaken between 2000 and 2003.

In July 2008, President Umaru Yar’Adua set forth Operation Restore Hope in Nigeria and, consequently, unleashed the military might of the Joint Task Force (JTF). Since last summer, the JTF has reportedly shut down over 300 illegal refineries and promises to be yet more effective in 2009.