Militants threaten oil attacks
2008-05-29 08:54
Lagos - Nigeria's strongest militant group is threatening a wave of attacks on oil installations and military checkpoints, and is warning civilians to stay clear.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said in a statement on Wednesday that it would launch a series of attacks and car bombings on Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of President Umaru Yar'Adua's inauguration.
The group argued that oil revenue should provide more befits to impoverished residents of Nigeria's oil-rich southern region.
The movement's attacks on oil targets across the southern Niger Delta had already slashed output from Africa's biggest crude exporter and contributed to the worldwide rise in prices of petroleum products.
- AP