http://www.examiner.com/a-472586~Car_Bomb_Explodes_in_Nigeria_Oil_Region.html
Car Bomb Explodes in Nigeria Oil Region PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria - A car bomb exploded outside a state government office in Nigeria's southern oil hub Saturday, soon after the military reported an overnight bombing of a water pipeline leading into a refinery. The blast at the office building in Port Harcourt appeared to be the first targeting of a government installation by a militant group that has repeatedly kidnapped foreign oil workers and occupied pumping stations run by multinational companies. The two bombings came at the end of a week of attacks against petroleum companies in Africa's largest oil-producing nation. Militant groups say people in the oil-rich Niger River delta aren't benefiting enough from the wealth. Going off at midday, the car bomb split the vehicle in two and demolished part of a fence surrounding a building that houses the office of the Rivers State governor and other government offices. Deputy Governor Gabriel Tony, who was inside at the time, said no one was injured. The explosion came less than an hour after one of the region's militant groups, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that it had placed two car bombs in the region and would detonate them "shortly." The group, known as MEND, did not immediately reply to e-mails asking if the Port Harcourt bomb was one of those referred to in the e-mail. In the past, MEND has attacked only oil installations and personnel in its campaign to pressure the government into concessions by hurting oil production. Nigeria has seen its daily oil production of 2.5 million barrels drop by a quarter this year because of violence by various groups. Earlier Saturday, Brig. Gen. Alfred Ilogho said dynamite was set off under a water pipe leading to a refinery in the town of Warri, but the blast did not affect production at the government-owned refinery. Residents in the area reported hearing a large explosion around midnight. It was a violent week in the oil region. On Monday, MEND claimed responsibility for two car bombs at oil company compounds in Port Harcourt. The group also still holds four foreign oil workers hostage demanding the release of jailed militants. On Thursday, armed men raided a Total SA pumping station in an attack that killed three police guards, while another group took over an Eni SpA facility. The companies shut down production at both facilities, about 80,000 barrels per day in all. Royal Dutch Shell PLC and several oil service companies began evacuating all dependents of foreign employees from the delta region this week, citing the worsening security situation after Monday's car bombs - one of which was set off in a Shell residential complex. +++ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
