A rebel group in Nigeria’s oil-rich south says it has bombed an oil pipeline as part of “We own our lands” campaign.
A Nigerian intelligence official told AFP news agency that according to his information, dynamite was used in the attack by the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM) rebel group on the pipeline in the Ughelli area of Delta state.
The pipeline is operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, a subsidiary of the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
Ogheneochuko Emurotu, from the local Evwreni community, said residents heard the explosion overnight and troops were deployed at first light, AFP reports.
However, they could not gain access to the scene “due to the degree of fire on the pipeline”, he added.
It’s the group’s second attack in the area this month.
The oil-rich south has seen a surge of attacks by rebel groups since President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, took office last year.
The rebels are demanding that a greater share of Nigeria’s oil wealth be spent in the region to tackle grinding poverty, and have also demanded an end to pollution caused by the industry.
In its statement, the NDGJM also hit out at multinational oil companies operating in the region, accusing them of being “wicked and ungrateful.”
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