A gas pipeline operated by Nigeria's state energy company in
south-western Ogun state has been attacked by men disguised as
maintenance staff, local police said on Thursday.
Attacks by militants on oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta
region - in the south and south-east - over the last few months briefly
pushed crude production in the Opec member to 30-year lows in the
spring.
But facilities in the south-west region, which is not part of the Delta area, have so far not been targeted. Militant groups have called for a greater share of Nigeria's oil and gas wealth to go to the Delta, which is the country's main energy hub.
Muyiwa Adejobi, a spokesman for Ogun state police said the attack took place on Tuesday night in the town of Ogijo.
"We were told that some guys came in two vehicles dressed as officials in charge of repairs and maintenance of the gas pipelines and then used dynamite to blow up the gas line belonging to a subsidiary of (state energy firm) NNPC," he said, referring to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
"Unfortunately one of the lines was damaged. There are other lines that were not affected," he added.
The pipeline supplies the commercial capital Lagos, which is around 80 kilometres from Ogun state, and other parts of the south-west.
Adejobi said there were "insinuations that militants could be responsible" but added that police "are not jumping to conclusions yet as to which group was responsible".
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack.
But facilities in the south-west region, which is not part of the Delta area, have so far not been targeted. Militant groups have called for a greater share of Nigeria's oil and gas wealth to go to the Delta, which is the country's main energy hub.
Muyiwa Adejobi, a spokesman for Ogun state police said the attack took place on Tuesday night in the town of Ogijo.
"We were told that some guys came in two vehicles dressed as officials in charge of repairs and maintenance of the gas pipelines and then used dynamite to blow up the gas line belonging to a subsidiary of (state energy firm) NNPC," he said, referring to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
"Unfortunately one of the lines was damaged. There are other lines that were not affected," he added.
The pipeline supplies the commercial capital Lagos, which is around 80 kilometres from Ogun state, and other parts of the south-west.
Adejobi said there were "insinuations that militants could be responsible" but added that police "are not jumping to conclusions yet as to which group was responsible".
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack.

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