Nigeria militants say explode car bomb in oil delta

WARRI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian militants said on Saturday they had detonated a car bomb near a refinery in Warri in the southern oil-producing Niger Delta, extending a campaign of attacks that has cut Nigerian exports by a quarter.

No information was immediately available on whether there were any casualties or damage.

A Reuters reporter in Warri who was 4 km (2.5 miles) away from the refinery heard an explosion at the time when the militants said they detonated the bomb. A spokesman for Delta state said there had been a blast but had no further details.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which demands more local control over the region's oil wealth, said the bombing was a warning to all people working in OPEC member Nigeria's oil industry, and particularly to China.

"We wish to warn the Chinese government and its oil companies to steer well clear of the Niger Delta ... The Chinese government by investing in stolen crude (oil) places its citizens in our line of fire," said MEND.

Earlier this week, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Nigeria and signed deals to explore Nigerian oilfields in return for a commitment to invest $4 billion in infrastructure to help develop Africa's most populous country.

MEND has staged a series of kidnappings and attacks against the oil industry in the world's eighth-biggest exporter that has forced companies to cut production by 550,000 barrels per day.

This has contributed to recent spikes in world oil prices, including last week's record high at over $75 per barrel.

The militants, who have abducted a total of 13 foreign oil workers this year and held some of them for several weeks, have warned all oil workers to leave the delta and vowed to halt exports completely. They have now freed all the hostages.

30 KG OF DYNAMITE

MEND said it used a mobile phone to detonate 30 kg (66 lb) of dynamite in the bombing. The use of car bombs is unusual in Nigeria, but it was MEND's second such attack in nine days. Continued ...

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