Militants blow up another Agip pipeline

Niger Delta militants have blown up another oil pipeline in the restive south of the country, a security official said on Friday.

“Reports from the swamp area indicate that last night (Thursday) a gang of heavily armed youths with two double 200 horse power speedboats used explosives to blast three different points on the Tebidaba-Brass… pipeline,” said Desmond Agu, of the Nigerian Civil Defence and Security Corps (NCDSC).

The pipeline in Bayelsa state, owned by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, a local subsidiary of Italian oil major Eni, has been repeatedly attacked.

On Monday, an oil wellhead operated by Chevron was attacked in the Batan and Makararaa areas of Delta state.

An investigation has been launched to determine the extent of the damage in the latest incident, said Agu.

No group has claimed responsibility, but the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) has said it has carried out a string of bombings of Nigeria’s key oil and gas facilities since February.

The attacks have cut the nation’s oil production at a time the west African country is struggling with low global crude prices which have hammered government revenues.

The Avengers want oil majors to leave the Niger delta, blaming them for contributing to the poverty and under-development of the region.

The group, which seeks a fairer share of Nigeria’s oil wealth for residents of the region, also wants self-determination for the delta states and political autonomy.

Another militant group, the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (JNDLF), has also warned of attacks in the delta.

The Nigerian government has called for dialogue to end the violence.