Africa News
Barge carrying stolen oil scuttled in Nigeria
May 13, 2009, 6:04 GMT
Nairobi/Abuja - A barge carrying thousands of tons of stolen oil has been scuttled off the coast of Nigeria, a military official said.
Lt Col Rabe Abubakar told the BBC that the crew of the ship had been tipped off the military was on their tail, so they scuttled the boat on Tuesday and swam to safety.
It was not clear what environmental damage had been caused by the oil.
Crude oil theft costs Nigeria an estimated 5 billion dollars each year.
Militant groups operating in the Niger Delta claim they are fighting for a better share of wealth for local residents, who say the oil industry has ruined their agriculture and fishing livelihoods.
However, the government says they are criminal gangs intent on stealing oil.
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