Oil dispute ignites violence in Nigeria

Militants seeking a greater share of oil revenue for their impoverished region detonated two car bombs in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, sending shock waves through the city.

Police official Bassie Inyang said no casualties were reported at either site.

Both blasts occurred in high-security residential areas in oil firm compounds around lunchtime yesterday, when most employees would have been at work.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed responsibility in an e-mail to reporters, saying the bombs contained a mix of commercial and military-grade explosives and were triggered by mobile phone.

MEND’s attacks have already cut one quarter of the normal 2.5 million barrels pumped per day in Africa’s largest producer of crude oil.