Nigeria militants claim attack on Royal Dutch Shell oil pipeline

Abuja: Nigeria militants say they attacked a Royal Dutch Shell pipeline in the country's restive south and warned Russia not to invest in the nation's oil sector.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta claims it attacked the Bille-Krakama pipeline in Rivers state early Thursday. The attack occurred hours after a visit by Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev, who on Wednesday signed energy deals to build new export pipelines with Nigeria.

In a statement addressed to Medvedev, the militant group said "this is the fate that awaits the gas pipelines you plan to invest in Nigeria, if justice is not factored in the whole process."

Last week, the group attacked at least two other Shell pipelines in the same area.

Violence has been escalating in the region as the military intensifies operations to flush out rebels battling for a larger share of the country's oil revenue.