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| Nigeria rebels claim Lagos attack | Nigeria rebels claim Lagos attack |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Nigeria's most prominent rebel group says it carried out an "unprecedented attack" on an oil tanker facility close to the main commercial city of Lagos. | Nigeria's most prominent rebel group says it carried out an "unprecedented attack" on an oil tanker facility close to the main commercial city of Lagos. |
| "The depot and loading tankers moored at the facility are currently on fire," said the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend). | "The depot and loading tankers moored at the facility are currently on fire," said the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend). |
| Security sources told the BBC they had received reports of an explosion and 30 minutes of gunfire in the city. | |
| If confirmed, this would be a major escalation in Mend's activities. | |
| Its previous attacks have mostly been much further to the south-east, in Rivers and Delta States. | |
| Such attacks have severely cut Nigeria's oil output. Production has been cut by a fifth in the last three years partly as a result of violence. | Such attacks have severely cut Nigeria's oil output. Production has been cut by a fifth in the last three years partly as a result of violence. |
| In a statement, Mend said that "heavily armed" men had "carried out an unprecedented attack on the Atlas Cove Jetty in Lagos" at 2230 (2130 GMT) on Sunday. | |
| The jetty is the main entry point for ships entering Nigerian waters from the West and for oil tanker loading. | |
| Leader release | Leader release |
| The alleged attack follows claims by Mend in recent days that it had blown up several oil pipelines and captured six foreign crew from onboard an oil tanker. | The alleged attack follows claims by Mend in recent days that it had blown up several oil pipelines and captured six foreign crew from onboard an oil tanker. |
| The government recently offered an amnesty to members of any militant group which laid down its weapons - including Mend leader Henry Okah. | |
| He is facing treason and gun-running charges since his arrest in Angola in 2007. His release has been a key demand of Mend militant group. | |
| On Friday, lawyers for Mr Okah said he had accepted the amnesty offer and his lawyers say he is expected to be freed early this week. | |
| But Mr Okah remains in jail while the terms of his release are negotiated. | |
| Lawyer Femi Falana told the AFP news agency that Mr Okah would appear at a hearing later and that it was "most likely" that the attorney general would decide not to pursue the case against him. | |
| The Mend rebels have been fighting the rights of local people in the Niger Delta and for an increased share of Nigeria's vast oil wealth. | The Mend rebels have been fighting the rights of local people in the Niger Delta and for an increased share of Nigeria's vast oil wealth. |
| In Sunday's statement, the group said the problems facing Nigeria were "nothing to do with militant freedom fighters but with the corrupt political leadership and certain arrogant tribes still living on past glory". | In Sunday's statement, the group said the problems facing Nigeria were "nothing to do with militant freedom fighters but with the corrupt political leadership and certain arrogant tribes still living on past glory". |
| But the government has in the past dismissed Mend as criminals. | But the government has in the past dismissed Mend as criminals. |