Militants launched new attacks in the Niger Delta on Thursday, vowing to bring Nigeria’s struggling oil industry to a halt, while Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari canceled a long-awaited visit to the region.
The army said militants killed six people on Wednesday when they ambushed a boat belonging to state oil firm NNPC in the Warri area.
Separately, the Niger Delta Avengers group said it had attacked two crude pipelines operated by Italy’s ENI.
“At about 2:00 am today @NDAvengers blew up the Ogboinbiri to Tebidaba and Clough Creek to Tebidaba Crude Oil pipelines in Bayelsa State,” the group said on Twitter. “This is in line with our promise to all international oil companies and indigenous oil companies that Nigeria oil production will be zero.”
The group yesterday also said that it has again blown up the Forcados oil pipeline, which was under repair after an attack in February.
“At 3:00 am today @NDAvengers blew up the SPDC Forcados 48 Exportline,” the group said on a Twitter feed it uses to claim credit for attacks.
“We warned SPDC not to go ahead with repair works,” the group said.
Nigeria’s oil minister in April said that repairs to the Forcados pipeline would be completed by next month.
Royal Dutch Shell could not be immediately reached for comment, but the NDA said in a statement late on Thursday that it was not responsible for the boat attack.
“Killing of sleeping soldiers is not our style,” the NDA said in an e-mailed statement.
The Avengers group has claimed responsibility for other attacks on Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell facilities. A wave of such attacks have helped drive the country’s oil output to a 20-year low.
Buhari canceled a visit planned for Thursday to the Delta, which is the source of most of Nigeria’s crude oil. Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo made the trip in Buhari’s place to launch a cleanup program in an area badly hit by oil spills, vowing to work with community leaders to end militant attacks.
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