afrol News, 15 September - Nigeria's main militant group has declared war on oil yesterday after three days battle with government forces in the country's southern oil rich region, Niger Delta.

Southern Niger Delta military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Musa Sagir said fighters in speedboats attacked security personnel guarding an oil-pumping station in River state in a pre-dawn raid which lasted for an hour.

Mr Sagir, earlier on Sunday confirmed there was an aborted attack on Robertkiri facility operated in Rivers state by US oil giant Chevron.

Chevron confirmed a shooting incident at Robertkiri facility but said it did not have information to suggest attack was directed specifically at company. It said no expatriate workers were involved in the incident and production was not impacted.

"As a result of on-going pipeline repair work the Robertkiri facility had been shut-in prior to the incident. The shooting incident has not had any additional impact on current levels of production," company spokesman Scott Walker said in an email.

Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta ( MEND ) which has said in an email to media it has code-named its operation Hurricane Barbarossa was responding to attacks by the military.

However, military said it had repelled several Mend attacks, but both sides said their opponents suffered heavy losses.

"About 0100 Hrs, today Hurricane Barbarossa commenced with heavily armed fighters in hundreds of war boats from different MEND bases across the Niger Delta in solidarity to carry out destructive and deadly attacks on the oil industry in Rivers state," the group said in a statement.

Mend's violent campaign for a bigger share of the area's oil wealth has cut Nigeria's oil output by a quarter since 2006.

"The operation will continue until Nigerian government appreciates that the solution to peace in Niger Delta is justice, respect and dialogue," the group said, further indicating that in the attack, 22 Nigerian troops had been killed.

The group has also warned all vessels to stay on high seas and not to come into port. Niger Delta is an area of creeks and swamps on the Gulf of Guinea.

The attacks came after Nigerian president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua announced he was creating a ministry for the Niger Delta in an attempt to bring peace to the region. But Militants dismissed the plan, saying other ministries already in existence had done little to improve life for Nigerians.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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