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West Africa Five killed in Nigerian gunmen attack on naval boat
West Africa Five killed in Nigerian gunmen attack on naval boat
Jul
16
2008
| Five killed in Nigerian gunmen attack on naval boat |
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 LAGOS, July 16 (Reuters) - Five people were killed and several wounded in a shootout between Nigerian security forces and gunmen who attacked their boat in the oil-producing Niger Delta, an army spokesman said on Wednesday.
Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, spokesman for the military task force responsible for security in southern Rivers state, said about 30 armed men in speedboats attacked a navy vessel that was guarding key oil facilities. No group has yet claimed responsibility.Attacks on oil facilities have become increasingly common since militants launched a campaign of violence in early 2006, slashing a fifth of output and helping push world oil prices to record highs. "The navy was able to repel them after inflicting maximum casualties on them. Three of the militants were killed in a gunfight," Musa said by telephone from the state capital Port Harcourt. One naval serviceman and a civilian also died in the crossfire, which lasted for at least two hours, the spokesman said. The boat was located near oil installations operated by Royal Dutch Shell, which were not targeted, he said. MILITANTS, GANGS Militants who say they are fighting for greater local control of the Niger Delta's resources usually claim responsibility for attacks on oil production facilities, but violent robberies and kidnappings by criminal gangs seeking ransom are also common. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the main rebel group in the region, said last week it would resume its campaign of violent attacks on Africa's biggest oil producer to protest against a British pledge to help the Nigerian authorities fight lawlessness in the delta. Britain and Nigeria said on Wednesday they would set up a security training force to help tackle the violence. The breakdown of law and order in the south has also allowed armed groups to target businesses outside the energy sector as well as politicians and residents. In a separate incident, dozens fled Bonny Island -- an oil and gas export hub near Port Harcourt -- on Wednesday after a local gang threatened to kill those not originally from the area, security sources said. The group blamed non-natives for stealing their jobs. No violence was reported as additional military and police were sent to the island. On Friday, unknown gunmen killed a soldier and kidnapped two German construction workers, prompting the country's biggest construction firm Julius Berger to pull out of the delta. Set as favorite Bookmark
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