Terrorists Hit Shell Oil In Nigeria

December 18th, 2006

Port Harcourt, Nigeria - Terrorists have hit Nigeria's restive Niger Delta region's oil facilities.

One blast hit property belonging to the Royal Dutch Shell in Port Harcourt. The other hit the fence of a compound belonging to Italian company Agip.

Little damage has been reported, and no-one was hurt.

The militant group, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) has claimed responsibility for what it described as car bomb attacks.

It is the first time Mend have targeted residential compounds.

Shortly before the attacks, Mend emailed a statement to local reporters saying a series of car-bomb attacks were imminent.

"People were running and screaming," said George Princewill, a motorbike taxi driver.

"We didn't know what was happening. People were running in all different directions."

Mend are demanding the release of two leaders and more oil wealth for locals.

The world's eighth biggest exporter of crude has been losing more than 500,000 barrels of oil per day since February when militants demanding greater local control of oil wealth staged a series of raids on the industry.