Eni Says Two Dead in Niger Delta

Eni has confirmed that two workers for its Nigerian Agip Operating Company (Naoc) subsidiary were killed in an attack on their boat in the Niger Delta last week, while three others survived the attack.

"On June 29, a Naoc team was attacked on the way to a well location to do routine operation in Nembe area. Three members of the team managed to escape and reach the nearby flow station, while other two were declared missing. Two days later their bodies were found. Investigations with Security Agencies were immediately undertaken and are still ongoing," said Eni in a statement issued over the weekend and sent to NGA July 4.

It's not clear who was responsible for the Nembe attack, in Nigeria's Bayelsa state.

In contrast, the Niger Delta Avengers group said it was responsible for five attacks on pipelines and facilities over the weekend in the delta, according to a Reuters report late on July 3. The attacks, in which no injuries were reported, were the first which the NDA had claimed as theirs since June 16.

Although NDA never claimed to have joined a 30-day truce declared in mid-June, the uneasy peace that prevailed for most of June now seems to have ended. In another development, the NDA's Twitter account has been suspended, making it more difficult for the militant group to publicise its attacks.

Mark Smedley | www.naturalgasafrica.com