ABUJA (Reuters) - Attackers armed with AK-47 rifles and dynamite blew up a police building on Bonny Island, an oil and gas export hub in Nigeria's southern Niger Delta, security experts working for private companies said on Saturday.
The reports did not suggest that any oil and gas facilitieshad been damaged. Royal Dutch Shell has an oil export terminalat Bonny and the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas company has itsinstallations there.
Police spokesmen could not immediately be reached forcomment.
The security experts working for an oil major and aconstruction company said the raid took place in the middle ofthe night near the main jetty on Bonny and several vehicleswere torched. The attackers fled in speedboats before dawn.
"Armed men attacked and razed down the marine policebuilding at the Bonny main jetty. Several vehicles were alsotorched," one of the security experts said.
He said the attackers were thought to be members of a localgroup that had recently written to state and federalauthorities complaining that oil company funds meant fordevelopment of the region had been diverted by politicians.
The authorities had tried to negotiate with communitychiefs to avert a crisis, but the attempt had failed and localyouths had threatened attacks.
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 Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Caroline Drees)
