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Five foreign sailors kidnapped off Nigeria freed

Agence France-PresseMay 14, 2013 08:15

Five foreigners who were kidnapped last month when heavily armed pirates stormed their cargo ship off Nigeria's oil-producing southern coast have been released, the vessel's German operator said Tuesday. The Gulf of Guinea, which includes the waters of Benin, Nigeria and Togo is an emerging piracy hub, with gunmen frequently targeting oil ships both to steal crude and seize foreign hostages in order to get ransom payments.

Gunfight in Nigeria's Delta oil region kills eight: sources

Thomson ReutersMay 7, 2013 10:48

YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Gunmen opened fire on a group of former militants in the oil producing Niger Delta late on Saturday, leading to a shootout that left eight people dead, a security official said. None could confirm who carried out the attack. The men targeted were loyal to one of several Nigerian Delta militant leaders who accepted a government amnesty in 2009 in exchange for money, ending attacks that at one time shut down nearly half of production in Africa's biggest oil and gas industry.

8 ex-militia youths shot dead in south Nigeria

Agence France-PresseMay 5, 2013 16:15

Eight young men suspected of being ex-militia members from two rival groups were killed early Sunday in a shootout in Lorbia community in Nigeria's southern oil-rich Bayelsa state, their relations and the army said. Among those killed were five youths belonging to a group led by ex-militia leader Reuben Wilson, who embraced the 2009 government amnesty. Wilson's 37-year-old younger brother, Benaibi Wilson, died in the clash, the former militia leader said.

Pirates kidnap five foreign sailors off Nigeria

Agence France-PresseApril 29, 2013 12:16

Pirates stormed a cargo ship off Nigeria's oil-producing southern coast, kidnapping five foreign sailors and stealing cash, a watchdog and a security source said Monday. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said the April 25 incident was carried out by "14 heavily armed pirates" who boarded the vessel 45 nautical miles off the Nigerian town of Brass. They forced their way into the ship's saferoom, making off with crew and cash, the IMB said in a statement.

Nigerian oil theft soars to feed underground industry

Agence France-PresseApril 20, 2013 23:15

A trail along the river banks deep in the Nigerian swamps winds through forest before arriving at a clearing, where the ground is black from oil and soot, puddles shimmering with crude. A makeshift refinery sits there, its drums and pipes resembling a junkyard contraption but apparently capable of producing usable fuel from stolen oil, part of a major underground industry Nigeria says it is now trying to stop.

Shell shuts key Nigeria pipeline to repair oil theft damage

Agence France-PresseApril 17, 2013 18:30

Shell has shut a key oil pipeline in southern Nigeria to repair damage caused by oil thieves, leading to a cut of around 150,000 barrels per day, the company said Wednesday in a statement. The Nembe Creek Trunkline in Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer with output at about two million barrels per day, will be closed for an undisclosed period. "The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) shut down the Nembe Creek Trunkline (NCTL) on Monday (15th April) to remove crude oil theft connections and investigate suspected oil theft leaks," it said.

True story: Nigerian state seeks to hush rumours

Agence France-PresseApril 16, 2013 23:45

The government in this Nigerian state decided something needed to be done, so billboards have been erected around town and a committee has been named. The campaign to stamp out the spreading of rumours in Bayelsa, the home state of Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, is now underway. "What rumours are they scared of?" said Simon Goladi, a 34-year-old sociology student walking near one of the anti-rumour billboards in the state capital Yenagoa. "It's just a waste of resources."

Nigeria's main militant group threatens attack on Islamic institutions

AsianetApril 15, 2013 15:46

Nigeria's main militant group, the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), on Sunday threatened to perpetrate attacks on Islamic institutions in the west African country from next month. The group, in an electronic message to journalists, said its attacks will be code-named "Operation Barbarossa", aimed at saving Christianity in Nigeria from annihilation by the Boko Haram sect, which has been attacking churches and media and security outfits since 2009. MEND said when hostilities against Islamic institutions begin on May 31, it will target mosques, pilgrimage camps

Analysis - Militant uprising not yet likely in Nigeria's oil delta

Thomson ReutersApril 15, 2013 14:00

By Joe Brock YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Despite a deadly attack on police and emailed threats from a militant group, Niger Delta militants are unlikely to resurrect the campaign of violence that once hobbled Africa's biggest energy industry. Many former militant leaders are now accepting money from President Goodluck Jonathan's government, and are unlikely to relaunch the campaign of kidnappings and attacks on pipelines that helped spike world crude prices from 2006-2009.

Deadly attack a fresh sign of trouble in Nigerian oil region

Agence France-PresseApril 14, 2013 23:00

A group of men with AK-47s lay in wait for an ex-kingpin in the Nigerian swamps before instead opening fire on police -- the latest sign of trouble in a vitally important oil region. The April 5 assault in the Niger Delta killed 12 policemen, with attackers firing from a jetty before two speedboats carrying other assailants arrived and also shot at the officers, some of whom jumped in the water, police said.