Nairobi/Lagos - Niger Delta rebels said Monday that they had attacked a loading dock for oil tankers and a depot near the Nigerian financial capital of Lagos. The depot and several tankers were set on fire in the attack late Sunday at the Atlas Cove Jetty in Lagos state, a spokesman for the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said in an e-mailed statement.
The purported attack came days after the imprisoned leader of MEND accepted an amnesty offer from the government.
MEND rebels have attacked oil facilities and pipelines and kidnapped foreign oil workers as part of their long-running campaign of sabotage in the oil-producing Niger Delta. The attacks have cut the West African nation's oil production by more than 20 per cent since early 2006.
MEND said it is fighting for a larger share of the country's oil and gas wealth for delta residents, who complain the oil industry has ruined their agriculture and fishing livelihoods.
The group has continued its attacks since President Umaru Yar'Adua offered it amnesty nearly three weeks ago, proposing presidential pardons, education and training to those who lay down their arms within 60 days.
He also offered to release militant leader Henry Okah, who was arrested in Angola in 2007 and is facing charges of treason and gun- running.
