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Rebels blow up state-run gas pipeline in southern Nigeria

Reuters
Niger Delta, NigeriaUpdated: Jul 26, 2016, 03:08 PM IST
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The rebels want oil majors to leave the Niger delta, blaming them for contributing to widespread poverty and under-development of the region. (Representative Image) Photograph:(Getty)
The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) militant group today claimed responsibility for an attack on a gas pipeline belonging to the state-run oil company in southern Nigeria.

"At 11:30 pm on Sunday, the NDA blew up Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) gas pipeline at Nsit-Ibom," in Akwa Ibom state, the group said in a terse statement.

NNPC officials were not immediately available for comment, but the attack is bound to worsen gas supplies to power plants in a country reeling from daily outages.

The Avengers have claimed a string of devastating attacks against the NNPC as well as oil majors Shell, Chevron, Exxon and Eni since February.

The attacks have reduced output at a time when Nigeria is struggling with low global crude prices which have hammered government revenues, weakening the country's naira currency and pushing up inflation to near 11-year highs.

The rebels want oil majors to leave the Niger delta, blaming them for contributing to widespread poverty and under-development of the region.

The group also wants self-determination for the oil-producing states in the delta region and political autonomy.

The Avengers have rejected a government truce to end violence.

(AFP)