A group called Niger Delta Avengers known for attacking oil facility in Niger Delta areas in the early hours of Friday blew up a major crude oil pipeline owned
by Agip ENI.
The group, which claimed responsibility for virtually all major attacks against oil installations across the restive oil-rich region this year, said the incident occurred at about 3:00 a.m.
The group took to its twitter account and said “3:00am (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.”
There was no immediate confirmation of the attack from Eni.
The attack is coming three days after the Nigerian government announced that combat troops deployed to the area to rout the militants had been ordered to stand down.
The Avengers said it wanted a sovereign nation for the people of the Niger Delta, calling on the international community to intervene and help compel the Nigerian government to yield to its demand in order to avoid a situation like Sudan before the southern part of that country finally broke away in 2011.
On Thursday, militants also bombed a pipeline operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) at Ogidigben in Delta State.