Oil pipeline attacked by Niger Delta militants

Militants on Sunday attacked a crude oil pipeline operated by Agip, the local subsidiary of Italy's Eni, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSDC) has said.

The attack comes just days after Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari warned the militants to stop attacking oil installations. Buhari also said he had heightened the military presence in the region, where attacks in the last few weeks have driven Nigeria's oil output to a more than 20-year low, the Nigeria Bulletin reported.

According to Desmond Agu, a spokesman for the NSDC, the Agip pipeline was attacked in the early hours of Sunday, around 12:30 a.m. (2330 GMT Saturday).

"A gang of armed youths ... vandalised pipeline along Azuzuama axis of the Tebidaba-Brass pipeline with dynamite and ignited fire on the line," he said, adding that one of the suspected attackers had been arrested.

Ex militants have called for a halt to a resurgence of attacks in the Niger Delta, saying it is an unnecessary distraction for Buhari's administration.

Source: MENA