official said Saturday.
“The attacks targeted two pipelines located in the same
zone,” an official for the Department of State Security (DSS) told AFP. “Both
belonged to the NPDC (Nigerian Petroleum Development Company) and we believe
this attack to be due to militants.” Also on Friday, a newly emerged armed group
calling itself the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM) claimed
responsibility for an attack the same day in Udu State.
It was the second claim
of responsibility by the group, which earlier this month claimed to have blown
up a major pipeline and warned of more attacks to come.
The creation of the
group was announced scarcely two days earlier by its spokesman, self-proclaimed
“general” Aldo Agbalaja, who warned that the NDGJM would strike at oil
installations within 48 hours.
Since the start of the year, the Avengers have
carried out a string of devastating attacks on Nigeria’s oil pipelines and
facilities. The oil rebels have also said the Niger Delta, home to the
country’s multi-billion-dollar oil and gas resources, might declare
independence on October 1.
Nigeria marks October 1 as the anniversary of its
political independence from colonial power Britain in 1960. Oil majors
including Shell, Exxon, Chevron, Eni and the state-run oil group NNPC have all
been targeted in the attacks this year.
The attacks have reduced Nigeria’s
output by a third, hammering government revenue at a time of low global oil
prices. The oil sector accounts for 90 percent of the nation’s foreign exchange
earnings and 70 percent of government revenue.
The Avengers claim to seek a
fairer share of Nigeria’s oil wealth for residents of the region as well as
self-determination and political autonomy. They have rejected a government
truce to end the violence.
Source: Vanguardngr
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