The Niger Delta Avengers, a militant group in Nigeria&#39;s Niger Delta, has claimed responsibility for bombing&nbsp;the Bonny 48 inches crude export line, a major oil pipeline in southern Nigeria late on Friday.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;On the 23rd September 2016, our strike team at 20:40 PM hours time has brought down oil productions activities at the Bonny 48 inches crude oil Export Line.&nbsp;This action is a signature to the over dramatisation of the so-called dialogue and negotiation process on the side of President Muhammadu Buhari and his government,&rdquo; the group wrote on its website.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
An NDA spokesman said that while they were still in favour of the dialogue, they were frustrated with no progress being made on the deal and also with the authorities&#39; acts of intimidation and blackmail. He also called the Friday&#39;s destruction of the pipeline as a &ldquo;wake-up call&rdquo;. 
 
The attack comes almost a month after the group, which seeks a fairer distribution of the oil revenue that make up for 70 per cent of the state&#39;s income, had brokered a ceasefire with the government and had announced that it would lay down its weapons, according to AFP news agency.&nbsp; 
 
The Nigerian Army had launched &ldquo;Operation Crocodile Smile&rdquo; to clamp down on the militant groups and reinstate their control in the oil hub of Warri. It is also battling large-scale illegal refinery operations and kidnappings, according to reports.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), which operates the pipeline, said the damage was being investigated.&nbsp; 
 
A blow to Nigerian economy 
 
Nigerian economy, which is heavily dependent on its oil revenues, has suffered a major blow in the wake of repeated attacks by militants who want a more equitable distribution of the revenue, AFP observes.&nbsp; 
 
The output of oil giants like Shell, Exxon and Chevron have reduced to a third at a time when the global prices have already gone for a toss, the international news agency reported today. Nigerian oil production has come down to 1.7 million barrels a day in the first quarter from 2.1 million barrels.&nbsp; 
 
Nigeria&#39;s dwindling oil production and a restrictive foreign exchange policy was adversely affecting the country&#39;s prospects, Ratings agency Standard and Poor said.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

With the bombing, the militant group broke the month-long truce with the government regarding a fairer distribution of oil revenue

The Niger Delta Avengers, a militant group in Nigeria's Niger Delta, has claimed responsibility for bombing the Bonny 48 inches crude export line, a major oil pipeline in southern Nigeria late on Friday. “On the 23rd September 2016, our strike team at 20:40 PM hours time has brought down oil productions activities at the Bonny 48 inches crude oil Export Line. This action is a signature to the over dramatisation of the so-called dialogue and negotiation process on the side of President Muhammadu Buhari and his government,” the group wrote on its website. An NDA spokesman said that while they were still in favour of the dialogue, they were frustrated with no progress being made on the deal and also with the authorities' acts of intimidation and blackmail. He also called the Friday's destruction of the pipeline as a “wake-up call”. The attack comes almost a month after the group, which seeks a fairer distribution of the oil revenue that make up for 70 per cent of the state's income, had brokered a ceasefire with the government and had announced that it would lay down its weapons, according to AFP news agency. The Nigerian Army had launched “Operation Crocodile Smile” to clamp down on the militant groups and reinstate their control in the oil hub of Warri. It is also battling large-scale illegal refinery operations and kidnappings, according to reports. Meanwhile, the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), which operates the pipeline, said the damage was being investigated. A blow to Nigerian economy Nigerian economy, which is heavily dependent on its oil revenues, has suffered a major blow in the wake of repeated attacks by militants who want a more equitable distribution of the revenue, AFP observes. The output of oil giants like Shell, Exxon and Chevron have reduced to a third at a time when the global prices have already gone for a toss, the international news agency reported today. Nigerian oil production has come down to 1.7 million barrels a day in the first quarter from 2.1 million barrels. Nigeria's dwindling oil production and a restrictive foreign exchange policy was adversely affecting the country's prospects, Ratings agency Standard and Poor said. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Niger Delta Avengers claims bombing major oil pipeline in southern Nigeria

The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) militant group today claimed responsibility for an attack on a gas pipeline belonging to the state-run oil company in southern Nigeria. 
 
&quot;At 11:30 pm on Sunday, the NDA blew up Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) gas pipeline at Nsit-Ibom,&quot; in Akwa Ibom state, the group said in a terse statement. 
 
NNPC officials were not immediately available for comment, but the attack is bound to worsen gas supplies to power plants in a country reeling from daily outages. 
 
The Avengers have claimed a string of devastating attacks against the NNPC as well as oil majors Shell, Chevron, Exxon and Eni since February. 
 
The attacks have reduced output at a time when Nigeria is struggling with low global crude prices which have hammered government revenues, weakening the country&#39;s naira currency and pushing up inflation to near 11-year highs. 
 
The rebels want oil majors to leave the Niger delta, blaming them for contributing to widespread poverty and under-development of the region. 
 
The group also wants self-determination for the oil-producing states in the delta region and political autonomy. 
 
The Avengers have rejected a government truce to end violence. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

The attack is bound to worsen gas supplies to power plants in a country reeling from daily outages.

The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) militant group today claimed responsibility for an attack on a gas pipeline belonging to the state-run oil company in southern Nigeria. "At 11:30 pm on Sunday, the NDA blew up Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) gas pipeline at Nsit-Ibom," in Akwa Ibom state, the group said in a terse statement. NNPC officials were not immediately available for comment, but the attack is bound to worsen gas supplies to power plants in a country reeling from daily outages. The Avengers have claimed a string of devastating attacks against the NNPC as well as oil majors Shell, Chevron, Exxon and Eni since February. The attacks have reduced output at a time when Nigeria is struggling with low global crude prices which have hammered government revenues, weakening the country's naira currency and pushing up inflation to near 11-year highs. The rebels want oil majors to leave the Niger delta, blaming them for contributing to widespread poverty and under-development of the region. The group also wants self-determination for the oil-producing states in the delta region and political autonomy. The Avengers have rejected a government truce to end violence. (AFP)

Rebels blow up state-run gas pipeline in southern Nigeria

Suspected militants have blown up a pipeline in Nigeria&#39;s southern delta region, the military and locals said Tuesday, the latest in a string of attacks on oil facilities that have hit production. 
 
A military officer said the attacks happened at about 10:00 pm (2100 GMT) on Monday in the Batan and Makarava areas of Delta State. 
 
&quot;The Monday night attack was an oil well head located at Makarava community, which is being operated by Chevron Nigeria Limited,&quot; he said, asking for his name to be withheld. 
 
The chairman of the Batan community, Ogugu Dickson, added, &quot;We heard three blasts at about 10:00 pm last night and this morning (Tuesday) we sent out the pipeline surveillance team to go and confirm details of the incident. 
 
&quot;From findings by the team, an NPDC (Nigerian Petroleum Development Company) manifold was blown up while an NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) pipeline, which is about 800 metres from the manifold, was also blown up,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
Nigeria is dependent on oil sales for 70 percent of government revenue 
 
The NPDC is a subsidiary of Nigeria&#39;s state-run oil firm the NNPC and is involved in oil and gas exploration and production. 
 
Militants from the Niger Delta Avengers have previously used Twitter to claim responsibility but their account @NDAvengers was marked as suspended. 
 
The group said on Sunday it had sabotaged an NNPC pipeline, two belonging to the NPDC and two Chevron-operated oil wells in Delta state over the weekend. 
 
The attacks broke a relative lull in violence in the delta region that has hit production, exacerbating a wider financial crisis in Nigeria caused by low global oil prices. 
 
The country is dependent on oil sales for 70 percent of government revenue. 
 
Nigeria&#39;s government has made moves to end the attacks, including a reported ceasefire, although the rebels denied being party to it. 
 
The resumption of violence has been prompted by a combination of factors, including dire poverty in the region and the end of a government amnesty programme for former militants active in the 2000s. 
 
(AFP)

The attacks broke a relative lull in violence in the delta region that has hit production, exacerbating a wider financial crisis in Nigeria

Suspected militants have blown up a pipeline in Nigeria's southern delta region, the military and locals said Tuesday, the latest in a string of attacks on oil facilities that have hit production. A military officer said the attacks happened at about 10:00 pm (2100 GMT) on Monday in the Batan and Makarava areas of Delta State. "The Monday night attack was an oil well head located at Makarava community, which is being operated by Chevron Nigeria Limited," he said, asking for his name to be withheld. The chairman of the Batan community, Ogugu Dickson, added, "We heard three blasts at about 10:00 pm last night and this morning (Tuesday) we sent out the pipeline surveillance team to go and confirm details of the incident. "From findings by the team, an NPDC (Nigerian Petroleum Development Company) manifold was blown up while an NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) pipeline, which is about 800 metres from the manifold, was also blown up," he said. Nigeria is dependent on oil sales for 70 percent of government revenue The NPDC is a subsidiary of Nigeria's state-run oil firm the NNPC and is involved in oil and gas exploration and production. Militants from the Niger Delta Avengers have previously used Twitter to claim responsibility but their account @NDAvengers was marked as suspended. The group said on Sunday it had sabotaged an NNPC pipeline, two belonging to the NPDC and two Chevron-operated oil wells in Delta state over the weekend. The attacks broke a relative lull in violence in the delta region that has hit production, exacerbating a wider financial crisis in Nigeria caused by low global oil prices. The country is dependent on oil sales for 70 percent of government revenue. Nigeria's government has made moves to end the attacks, including a reported ceasefire, although the rebels denied being party to it. The resumption of violence has been prompted by a combination of factors, including dire poverty in the region and the end of a government amnesty programme for former militants active in the 2000s. (AFP)

Military confirms fresh sabotage of oil facilities in Nigeria, production hit