In a swift reaction against the new militant group in the Niger-Delta, the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, the Nigerian army have arrested several suspected members of the group.
The group is believed to be behind the recent attacks on oil installations in the country. US oil giant Chevron and Exxon Mobil have shut down an offshore platform this month after an attack claimed by the Avengers group.
Many militants joined an amnesty programme in 2009 after an insurgency in the oil-rich delta region.
The amnesty programme, which provides tens of thousands of former oil militants with a monthly stipend from the government, stemmed the level of violence in the region after its introduction in 2009.
But in the latest budget, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari reduced funding for the programme by 70%, and has spoken of phasing it out entirely by 2018.
Most of Nigeria’s oil wealth comes from the Niger Delta, an area which remains poor and underdeveloped. The attack by the militant group has further deepen the slump slump in Nigerian oil production, reportedly down to its lowest level in more than two decades
