A Niger delta militant group yesterday claimed a fresh attack on a pipeline operated by the Nigerian subsidiary of Italy’s Eni in the restive oil-producing south.
The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) said on its Twitter account: “3am (0200 GMT) of Friday @NDAvengers blow up the Obi Obi Brass trunk line belonging to Agip Eni.”
“It is Agip’s major crude oil line in Bayelsa State,” it added.
There was no immediate confirmation of the attack from Eni but the state commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Desmond Agu, said there was heavy smoke and fire at the site.
“We got the report at about 4am and we deployed our team to that area to check the surroundings,” he said.
Local traditional rulers had met in the Southern Ijaw area of Bayelsa for talks on the attacks, he added.
On Thursday, militants also bombed a pipeline operated by the state-run oil firm the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) at Ogidigben in neighbouring Delta state.
Industry sources said the attack happened at 7:40 pm along the Chanomi creek. No group has claimed responsibility.
The NDA has been attacking facilities operated by Nigerian subsidiaries of Anglo-Dutch oil group Shell, US firm Chevron, Eni and the NNPC since the start of the year.
The upsurge in unrest has reduced Nigeria’s output to 1.6mn barrels per day, well below the budgeted-for 2.2mn bpd.
That has heaped further pressure on government revenues already hit by the global fall in crude prices since mid-2014.
Agu said the Nigerian security forces were doing their best to protect infrastructure in the state and condemned militant groups for “turning their weapons against themselves”.
“This destruction is having a grave impact not just on the economy of the region but also on the environment.
“Any polluted environment takes a long time to recover and become suitable for farming, fishing and other uses.
“Invariably these youths are destroying their future and the future of their children.”