Wednesday, November 02, 2016
BREAKING: Militants Bomb Trans Forcados Export Line Hours After Buhari Met With N'Delta Elders

A state-run oil pipeline near the southern Nigerian oil center of Warri was bombed by the suspected Niger Delta militants on November 1, the Punch reports.

A security source and community leader said the line was down just hours after President Muhammadu Buhari met with representatives of militant groups in the oil-rich region to discuss how to end the unrest plaguing the region.

However, no group has yet claimed responsibility for this attack.

A security official, who asked not to be named, said: “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.”

Dickson Ogugu, chairman of Batan community where the pipeline is situated, confirmed the development, adding that a surveillance team had recognized the place of the attack.

“The entire river is flooded with contents from the damaged trunkline and we are at the receiving end,” he said.

The line belongs to the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) and receives crude from Batan near Warri. Several militant groups, including the Niger Delta Avengers, have attacked oil facilities since February, reducing the nation’s output and hammering incomes.

The groups claim to be seeking a fairer share of Nigeria’s multi-billion-dollar oil wealth for residents of the region — as well as greater political autonomy. Following peace talks in Abuja chaired on November 1 by the leader of the nation, junior oil Minister Emmanuel Kachikwu said the country’s oil production was returning to normal.

Nigeria usually produces around 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd), but output fallen to a low of 1.4 bpd this year due to rebel attacks. The pipeline was attacked in July and had only resumed operation at the weekend following repairs.