Lagos: An oil pipeline run by a subsidiary of Italian oil firm Eni SpA has ruptured and caught fire in Nigeria as a militant group claimed responsibility for an attack.
The fire happened on Saturday night near Brass River in Nigeria's Bayelsa state. Witnesses told a local environmental group they heard the blast from their homes.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta claimed the attack in an e-mail to journalists.
The group, once powerful in the region, has seen its influence wane with the arrest of its alleged leader Henry Okah in South Africa.
The militants also threatened more attacks against South African interests in the region because Okah is facing terrorism charges in South Africa.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, February 05, 2012, 16:43