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| Nigeria arrests 'Avengers' oil militants | Nigeria arrests 'Avengers' oil militants |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The Nigerian army has arrested several suspected members of a militant group called the "Niger Delta Avengers" (NDA), thought to be behind recent attacks on oil pipelines in the south. | |
| The country's oil production has been severely disrupted by the attacks. | The country's oil production has been severely disrupted by the attacks. |
| US oil giant Chevron shut down an offshore platform this month after an attack claimed by the Avengers group. | US oil giant Chevron shut down an offshore platform this month after an attack claimed by the Avengers group. |
| Many militants joined an amnesty programme in 2009 after an insurgency in the oil-rich delta region. | Many militants joined an amnesty programme in 2009 after an insurgency in the oil-rich delta region. |
| Nigeria has long been Africa's largest oil producer, but its economy is currently facing difficulties due to the recent drop in global oil prices. | |
| Most of Nigeria's oil wealth comes from the Niger Delta, an area which remains poor and underdeveloped. | |
| Previous insurgent groups said they were fighting so local people could benefit more from their region's natural resources. | |
| Oil spills have also resulted in environmental devastation over the years. | |
| Danger zone: Chasing West Africa's pirates | |
| Has Nigeria's Niger Delta managed to buy peace? | |
| The amnesty programme, which provides tens of thousands of former oil militants with a monthly stipend from the government, stemmed the level of violence in the region after its introduction in 2009. | |
| But in the latest budget, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari reduced funding for the programme by 70%, and has spoken of phasing it out entirely by 2018. | |
| Critics accuse Mr Buhari, a Muslim northerner, of unfairly targeting communities in the southern, mainly Christian oil-producing regions, as part of his anti-corruption drive. | |
| Mr Buhari's predecessor Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, comes from the Niger Delta region. | |
| Little is known about the so-called "Avengers", who say they are fighting for an independent Delta region. | |
| But the attacks claimed by the group have contributed to a slump in Nigerian oil production, reportedly down to its lowest level in more than two decades. |