Militants hit pipeline in Delta, ‘shoot 4 guards’

Suspected Niger Delta militants have blown up a crude oil pipeline in Warri, Delta state, according to Punch.

The newspaper quoted a community leader as saying the attackers shot four guards before hitting the facility, which  was undergoing repairs after it had been previously bombed.

This is the second known attack in the region after Niger Delta stakeholders held a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.

The leader said the guards “escaped by the skin of their teeth”.

“Unfortunately, only the dynamite on the barge exploded and immediately sank into the water. As I speak to you, the military are at the scene of the incident trying to dismantle the other dynamites, ” the community was quoted to have said.

Punch said an army official, who preferred anonymity, confirmed the incident.

“We heard the shots in the middle of the night, but as you know, we do not patrol the area at night, so there was nothing we could do,” he said.

For peace to return, the militants in the region had given the president a 16 point framework, including, better welfare and an increased allocation of resources from the region.