Two militant groups in Nigeria’s oil-rich southern delta region claimed responsibility for recent attacks on oil facilities.
The region, historically prone to armed violence and crude oil theft, had remained relatively stable for years until the recent uptick in attacks. The groups, the Liberation Army of the Niger Delta and Bakassi (L.A.N.D. & B), along with the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), said they targeted a major oil supply line running to a terminal in Bayelsa State.
Local sources told AFP that the attacks occurred in the past week. Nigerian oil company Oando confirmed to the government-owned News Agency of Nigeria that there were “three separate attacks on its pipelines over the past week.”
The militant groups stated that their actions were in response to President Bola Tinubu’s recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, which is also oil-rich. The political crisis in the state, marked by months of infighting, led to Tinubu’s decision last month to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the state legislature.
Related topics:
