(Ecofin Agency) - A state-run oil pipeline that feeds the Forcados terminal near the southern port city of Warri has been bombed by militants on Tuesday.

This is the second attack within a week a community leader and army officer revealed.

State-owned Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) operates the pipeline which receives crude from the Batan flowstation and feeds the Forcados export terminal.

“The line which was undergoing repair after the previous attack … was billed for commissioning either today or tomorrow before the latest attack,” Dickson Ogugu, chairman of Batan community said.

He added that four surveillance guards which were deployed to protect the Trans Forcados export line barely escaped death after the militants opened fire on them.

“The hoodlums after chasing them from the spot came down from their speedboat, planted dynamite on swamp boogie, barge, crane and on the line. Unfortunately, only the dynamite on the barge exploded and immediately sank into the water. As I speak to you, the military are at the scene of the incident trying to dismantle the other dynamites”.

The line in question had been initially targeted by rebels. A week ago, the line was bombed hours after President Muhammadu Buhari held talks with representatives of militant groups in the Niger delta on how to end the unrest in the region.

Since the start of the year, more than a few militant groups have attacked oil facilities, reducing the nation’s output and affecting revenues. These militants claim are demanding a greater share of the nation’s oil wealth for local residents as well as political independence for the region.

Anita Fatunji