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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| 'Pipelines hit' in Nigeria delta | 'Pipelines hit' in Nigeria delta |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A militant group active in oil-rich southern Nigeria says it has bombed three major oil pipelines. | A militant group active in oil-rich southern Nigeria says it has bombed three major oil pipelines. |
| The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said it had attacked pipelines in Bayelsa State. | The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said it had attacked pipelines in Bayelsa State. |
| The group has led several attacks on oil facilities and has abducted foreign workers in its campaign to win a larger share of the region's oil wealth. | The group has led several attacks on oil facilities and has abducted foreign workers in its campaign to win a larger share of the region's oil wealth. |
| Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer but last year militant attacks cut production by more than a quarter. | Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer but last year militant attacks cut production by more than a quarter. |
| The price of oil in London is now up to more than $65 a barrel. | |
| Easy targets | Easy targets |
| Government officials confirmed that the attacks had taken place in the Brass and Akassa areas without giving details of the damage caused. | Government officials confirmed that the attacks had taken place in the Brass and Akassa areas without giving details of the damage caused. |
| All fighters involved in this attack have since returned to base without further incident Mend statement | All fighters involved in this attack have since returned to base without further incident Mend statement |
| Security sources in the region say it is not clear whether the bombed pipelines belonged to Shell Petroleum Development Company or the Italian Agip. | Security sources in the region say it is not clear whether the bombed pipelines belonged to Shell Petroleum Development Company or the Italian Agip. |
| The BBC's Abdullahi Kaura in Port Harcourt says investigators in helicopters are trying to pinpoint the exact locations of the attacks. | The BBC's Abdullahi Kaura in Port Harcourt says investigators in helicopters are trying to pinpoint the exact locations of the attacks. |
| The pipelines criss-cross the swamps and creeks of the Delta, usually running above ground. | The pipelines criss-cross the swamps and creeks of the Delta, usually running above ground. |
| The BBC's Alex Last in Nigeria says they are easy targets as an attack on a single pipeline can significantly affect production and exports. | The BBC's Alex Last in Nigeria says they are easy targets as an attack on a single pipeline can significantly affect production and exports. |
| The militants had earlier warned that they would step up attacks on oil installations in the region as "parting gift" to President Olusegun Obasanjo who stands down in three weeks time. | The militants had earlier warned that they would step up attacks on oil installations in the region as "parting gift" to President Olusegun Obasanjo who stands down in three weeks time. |
| They say the attacks were also in pursuance of their resolve to cripple the Nigerian crude oil export industry. | They say the attacks were also in pursuance of their resolve to cripple the Nigerian crude oil export industry. |
| The militants say they will continue their renewed campaign "indefinitely with attacks on all pipelines, platforms and support vessels". | The militants say they will continue their renewed campaign "indefinitely with attacks on all pipelines, platforms and support vessels". |
| "All fighters involved in this attack have since returned to base without further incident," Mend said in an email to the media. | "All fighters involved in this attack have since returned to base without further incident," Mend said in an email to the media. |
| It is not clear why the militants have stepped up their campaign after a lull in violence during Nigeria's general elections, but they say they want to remind the incoming government that the Niger Delta question has not left with Mr Obasanjo. | It is not clear why the militants have stepped up their campaign after a lull in violence during Nigeria's general elections, but they say they want to remind the incoming government that the Niger Delta question has not left with Mr Obasanjo. |
| Poverty and political corruption are widespread in the Niger Delta region. | Poverty and political corruption are widespread in the Niger Delta region. |