January 11, 2009
LAGOS (AFP) — Two Nigerian soldiers were killed and one wounded in an attack by unidentified gunmen in the restive oil-rich Niger Delta, the military said Monday.
"The Joint Task Force (JTF) sustained two casualties and another of our men sustained injuries," local army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Rabe Abubakar said of Sunday's incident in Bomadi in southern Bayelsa state.
He said the attack might be connected with the police seizure of a vessel, the Sandra Valleta, which was carrying stolen crude oil.
"Since the arrest, the suspects behind the illegal activity have mounted a campaign of calumny against JTF culminating in this recent attack," he added.
Officials say that millions of dollars are lost daily in crude oil stolen in the Niger Delta, home to Nigeria's multi-billion-dollar oil and gas industry. Abubakar said gunmen also attacked soldiers along the Sapele-Oghara road in Delta state on the same day.
"The attack was successfully repelled without us sustaining any casualty," he said.
No group has claimed responsibility for either attack.
For the past three years, armed groups in the Niger Delta, who claim to be acting on behalf of the impoverished local population, have staged violent attacks on oil companies and their staff.
The violence means crude production is now down to some two million barrels a day, compared to 2.6 million in 2006.
"The Joint Task Force (JTF) sustained two casualties and another of our men sustained injuries," local army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Rabe Abubakar said of Sunday's incident in Bomadi in southern Bayelsa state.
He said the attack might be connected with the police seizure of a vessel, the Sandra Valleta, which was carrying stolen crude oil.
"Since the arrest, the suspects behind the illegal activity have mounted a campaign of calumny against JTF culminating in this recent attack," he added.
Officials say that millions of dollars are lost daily in crude oil stolen in the Niger Delta, home to Nigeria's multi-billion-dollar oil and gas industry. Abubakar said gunmen also attacked soldiers along the Sapele-Oghara road in Delta state on the same day.
"The attack was successfully repelled without us sustaining any casualty," he said.
No group has claimed responsibility for either attack.
For the past three years, armed groups in the Niger Delta, who claim to be acting on behalf of the impoverished local population, have staged violent attacks on oil companies and their staff.
The violence means crude production is now down to some two million barrels a day, compared to 2.6 million in 2006.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });