Militant Nigerian group claims attack on Shell pipeline
May 26th, 2008 - 8:24 pm ICT by adminDPA
Nairobi/Abuja, May 26 (DPA) A militant group claimed Monday it had sabotaged a Shell pipeline in Nigeria’s oil-producing Niger Delta and killed 11 soldiers in the ensuing gun battle. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said that in the early hours of Monday it had sabotaged a major trunk pipeline at the Awoba flow station in Rivers State.
Neither Shell not the Nigerian military were initially able to verify the claims.
“Today’s attack is dedicated to the administration of Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan who have failed after one year in office to ensure peace, security and reconciliation in the Niger Delta region,” MEND said in an emailed statement.
Regular attacks have cut production in the region by around a fifth since the rebels began pushing for more local control over oil in 2006.
President Yar’Adua and Vice President Jonathan last year promised to negotiate with the militants and address their grievances as they took office.
Nigeria is the eighth-largest oil exporter in the world and the biggest in Africa.
DPA
- Nigeria's absentee president returns home - Feb 25, 2010
- Nigerian militants attack Shell oil platform - Jun 29, 2009
- Nigerian court asks cabinet to decide ill president's future - Jan 22, 2010
- Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua Dies At 58 - May 06, 2010
- Niger Delta youths learn skills from India - Sep 09, 2011
- Explosions shake amnesty talks in Nigeria (Lead) - Mar 15, 2010
- Ban Ki-moon saddened over death of Nigerian President Yar'Adua - May 07, 2010
- Nigerian oil militants end ceasefire - Jan 30, 2010
- Nigerian court adjourns cases on absentee president (Lead) - Jan 14, 2010
- Nigerian courts to hear cases on absentee president - Jan 14, 2010
- President condoles death of Nigerian president - May 06, 2010
- Explosion in Nigeria after militants issue bomb threat - Mar 15, 2010
- U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission to be inaugurated in April - Apr 06, 2010
- Nigerian police kill Islamist leader, face criticism (Lead, Changing dateline) - Jul 31, 2009
- Human Rights Watch urges Nigeria's new president to take concrete steps to address problems - May 30, 2011
Tags: abuja, dpa, emancipation of the niger delta, flow station, goodluck jonathan, grievances, gun battle, local control, militant group, militants, movement for the emancipation of the niger delta, nairobi, niger delta, niger delta region, nigerian military, oil exporter, pipeline, president jonathan, rivers state, umaru yar adua