Nigeria oil hub targeted in night attack

No oil and gas facilities were damaged. Royal Dutch Shellhas an oil export terminal at Bonny and the Nigerian LiquefiedNatural Gas company has its installations there.

Ireju Barasua, a police spokeswoman in the Rivers statecapital Port Harcourt, said the attackers blew up a marinepolice houseboat, torched some cars and also aimed explosivesat the compound of the traditional ruler of Bonny. One man wasseriously hurt.

The raid took place in the middle of the night near themain jetty on Bonny and the attackers fled in speedboats beforedawn.

A security expert working for an oil major said thesuspects were a local group that had recently written to stateand federal authorities complaining that oil company fundsmeant for development of the region had been diverted bypoliticians.

The authorities had tried to negotiate with communitychiefs to avert a crisis, but the attempt had failed and localyouths had threatened attacks, the source said.

Such conflicts are frequent in the Niger Delta, home toAfrica's biggest oil industry which produces 2.1 millionbarrels per day.

Under corporate social responsibility programmes, oil firmsprovide funding for what they say are development programmes,but human rights activists say the money often gets used to payoff extortion racketeers, or is pocketed by politicians.

Competition for oil money has fuelled many local warsbetween communities in the delta and numerous revenge attackson police and troops, seen as agents of a hostile state.

In some cases attacks are carried out by politicallymotivated rebels pressing for greater control of oil revenuesby impoverished local communities.

But more often, raids are the work of criminal gangsinvolved in extortion rackets, turf wars with rival gangs orrevenge attacks sponsored by politicians.

(Reporting by Austin Ekeinde and Estelle Shirbon; Editingby Caroline Drees)