Niger Delta militants blow up 300,000-barrel pipeline

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria

Militants in the Niger Delta attacked three major oil pipelines, they said Tuesday, as they continue to target Nigeria’s oil and gas resources.

The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) said they had blown up the Nembe pipelines operated by Royal Dutch Shell, Agip and Oando in coastal Bayelsa state following a military clampdown in the region.

The attacks on the pipelines, which have a combined capacity of 300,000 barrels of oil a day, were the latest blow against oil production, which has more halved since the militant campaign resumed in January.

“This is in response to the so-called Operation Sharkbite, an act of terrorism commissioned by the tyranny of the Nigerian Navy establishment and orchestrated by some elements of the ruling political class to continuously undermine any effort to addressing the legitimate demands of the people of the Niger Delta,” NDA spokesman Mudoch Agbinibo said in a statement.

The group said the bombing campaign would continue until the government responds to demands from local leaders.