Nigeria’s main militant group said on Monday it had attacked major oil pipelines in the Niger Delta in order to prevent five flow stations feeding a facility operated by U.S. firm Chevron (CVX.N) from functioning.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said in an emailed statement the attacks had affected flow stations at Alero Creek, Otunana, Abiteye, Makaraba and Dibi feeding a Chevron facility in Delta state.
Colonel Rabe Abubakar, spokesman for the military taskforce in the Niger Delta, said he could not confirm any such attacks. Nigerian state oil firm NNPC and Chevron also had no immediate confirmation.
“At about 0200 (GMT) today, fighters from MEND destroyed major trunk lines to effectively put … flow stations that feed the Chevron tank farm located in Delta state out of operation,” the statement said.
The military began its biggest offensive for years 10 days ago, bombarding militant camps around Warri in Delta state from the air and sea and sending three battalions of soldiers to hunt down rebels believed to have fled into surrounding communities.
MEND repeatedly warned of new attacks on the oil industry in response but its threats had so far failed to materialise. Production had continued and global oil markets had last week largely shrugged off the unrest.
The security forces say they destroyed rebel camps in the Chanomi Creek area around Warri and that they are now in control of the ground in the surrounding creeks.
But industry and security sources say it is virtually impossible to fully protect hundreds of kilometres of pipeline running through remote and largely unpopulated areas, leaving the industry exposed to hit-and-run guerrilla attacks.