Nigerian militant group claims attack on oil pipeline owned by Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary
By APFriday, April 30, 2010
Nigeria: Militant group claims oil pipeline attack
LAGOS, Nigeria — A militant group claimed Friday to have attacked an oil pipeline in Nigeria that is operated by a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, which said no such assault took place.
A statement sent by a group calling itself the Joint Revolutionary Council of the Niger Delta said it carried out the attack on the pipeline at Buguma. A Shell spokesman, though, said oil production in the region showed no signs of a disruption.
The group also threatened to strike again in the coming days.
“We shall strike in a way that the international community will be forced to come into this conflict,” it said in the statement.
Militants in the troubled Niger Delta have attacked pipelines, kidnapped petroleum company employees and fought government troops since January 2006.
Even claims of attacks have affected global oil prices in the past. Nigeria exported almost 1 million barrels of crude a day to U.S. in January alone, more than Saudi Arabia.
