Militant Group Says It Sabotaged Shell Facility

San Francisco, April 30, (THEWILL) – The Joint Revolutionary Council of Niger Delta (JRC), a militant group operating in the oil rich Niger Delta area of Nigeria, on Friday claimed its fighters destroyed a "Shell Creek Manifold" belonging to the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Buguma, Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The statement signed by its spokesman, Bakabio Walter, said the attacked marks the beginning of an operation it tagged, 'Operation Boro.'

"This is in continuation of our armed campaign for the dissolution of Nigeria and the establishment of an independent Niger Delta State.

"This is a child’s play compared to what is expected in the coming days. We shall strike in a way that the international community will be forced to come into this conflict. Our demands still stand."

But a Shell spokesman, military and security sources have maintained that they have no report of an attack in the area.