A faceless militant group has defied peace talks with President Muhammadu Buhari to further destroy oil facilities in the restive Niger Delta area.
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Suspected militants have bombed a state-run oil pipeline near the southern Nigerian oil hub of Warri, Delta in the latest blow to the industry, a security source and community leader said Wednesday, according to the Punch.
The Trans Forcados export line was attacked late Tuesday, just hours after President Muhammadu Buhari met with representatives of militant groups in the oil-rich Niger delta to discuss how to end the unrest plaguing the region. No group has yet claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack.
“The attack was carried out with the aid of dynamite and it is coming less than 48 hours after the resumption of operations at the flow station,” a security official, who declined to be named, told a corresponent.
The pipeline was attacked in July and had only resumed operation at the weekend following repairs. Dickson Ogugu, chairman of Batan community where the pipeline is based, confirmed the incident, saying a surveillance team had identified the site of the attack.
“The entire river is flooded with contents from the damaged trunkline and we are at the receiving end.”
The line is operated by the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) and receives crude from Batan near Warri.