Lagos, Nigeria - The military Joint Task Force (JTF) deployed to Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta region has confirmed Saturday night's attack on an oil pipeline by the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND).

Task force spokesman, Lt.-Col. Timothy Antigha, said the attack, the first by MEND on oil infrastructure since April 2011, portends danger for the region, which has witnessed reduced militancy since the successful government amnesty programme in 2009.

While saying that the task force was still monitoring the situation, he warned individuals and communities in the region against providing sanctuary for the militants.

According to MEND, the attack was carried out by its fighters against an AGIP-operated trunk line in Brass, Bayelsa, the home state of President Goodluck Jonathan.

In a statement emailed to journalists, the group vowed to carry out more attacks in the days ahead, especially against South African firms operating in Nigeria.

MEND leader Henry Okah is currently being tried in South Africa for alleged terrorism, in connection with the bomb explosion that disrupted the celebration of Nigeria's 50th independence anniversary in the capital city of Abuja 1 Oct. 2010.

Pana 06/02/2012