Nigerian Navy denies reports of attacks on base in Niger Delta

The Nigerian Navy on Wednesday denied media reports that its base in the oil-rich Niger Delta was overrun by militants on Tuesday.

"The naval base was intact," Director of Naval Information Obiora Medani said, adding that the Shell flow station in the area was taken over by "an aggrieved community" which also held officials operating within the precinct hostage.

"What happened was that an aggrieved community occupied a Shell flow station and refused to allow any staff to leave the premises until Shell meets its demands," he said.

"Efforts are being made to persuade the community to vacate the facility," he explained.

The naval spokesman advised journalists to always cross check their stories with the appropriate authorities.

Around 60 workers were taken hostage on Tuesday morning when militants seized the flow station in the Niger Delta.

The majority of these detained were released on Tuesday night. A Shell official said the remaining 15 workers would be set free on late Wednesday evening.

Shell, which produces about half of the total exports of Nigerian crude oil of 2.6 million barrels a day, said there had been no casualties in the hostage-taking which resulted in a flow station shutdown and production loss of some 12,000 barrels of oil a day.

Tensions in the Niger Delta have flared in recent months as communities of the oil-rich delta accuse foreign oil companies of reneging on promises to provide jobs and social amenities.

Since the beginning of this month, more than 30 oil workers have been kidnapped and 14 government solders killed in the oil production region during firefights between the militants and government troops.

Nigeria is the largest African oil production country and the sixth largest oil exporter in the world with a daily crude output of 2.6 million barrels.

Source: Xinhua