BIAFRA FREES OIL MANAGER

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31441, 7 August 1967, Page 9

BIAFRA FREES OIL MANAGER

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter— Copyright)

ENUGU, August 6.

Mr Stanley Gray, the British manager of the Shell-British Petroleum oil company in Nigeria, was released by the Biafran secessionist regime yesterday after being detained for more than a week.

Informed sources said he was driving to Lagos, the Nigerian Federal capital. He was accompanied by a top Shell executive, Mr F. McFadzean, who arrived in Enugu from London last Wednesday for talks with officials in breakaway Biafra. The Biafrans detained Mr Gray in his hotel after a dispute over oU royalties of' £7 million. Both the Federal authorities and the eastern secessionist regime claimed the money.

Observers said Mr Gray’s release, after nearly 11 days’ confinement, indicated the Biafran regime might have won concessions in the battle over who should be paid oil royalties. Both the Biafran and the

Nigerian authorities need the royalty money to boost their foreign exchange reserves. Early this week the Biafrans ordered Shell-B.P. to cease operations because of the failure to pay the royalties

Yesterday rebel Biafran troops blew up oil pipelines during their retreat through secessionist territory towards Port Harcourt, a spokesman for the Nigerian Federal Government said. He said fiames and smoke were visible for several miles. The pipelines lead to the Shell-B.P. oil terminal at the port of Bonny, which Federal forces captured last week. The spokesman said that as soon as one fire was controlled on the blown pipeline, another started.