Niger Delta militants claim attack on Nembe Creek pipeline

metro

8 years ago

Nigerian militant group Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) said on Tuesday it had attacked the Nembe Creek Trunk Line pipeline in the southern Niger Delta.

The group, which in August said it would halt hostilities to pursue talks with the government, said on Sunday it had resumed attacks because of the continued presence of the army in the region. Earlier this month, the president met local community leader to hear their grievances.

The NDA, which wants more energy wealth to go to the swampland region which is the source of most of Nigeria’s oil, said on its website its strike team attacked the Nembe 1, 2 and 3 branches of the pipeline.

It said it would continue attacking energy facilities until the “environment prevails for genuine dialogue and negotiations” to end a spate of attacks dating back to January which earlier this year cut the OPEC member’s crude production by more than third.

Reuters was unable to immediately verify details of the attack. Aiteo is the operator of the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL), although Agip, the local branch of Italy’s ENI, owns portions of the pipeline, as does Oando.

The NCTL is 100 kilometres long and has a capacity of 600 thousand barrels per day. Shell, which operates the Bonny Light crude oil that flows to the export terminal through the pipeline, divested its stakes in the NCTL in 2015.