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Oil Company Offices in Nigeria Attacked

According to an oil industry official, unidentified gunmen attacked the offices of the Italian oil company Agip`s offices in southern Nigeria Tuesday. The attack caused a gunfight, leaving seven people dead.

Despite the large amounts of crude pumped from southern Nigeria, much of the region remains in dire poverty. Activist groups have been lobbying for President Olusegun Obasanjo`s federal government to provide them with a greater share of state oil revenues. A rash of attacks and kidnappings in recent weeks have cut Nigeria`s daily exports of 2.5 million by nearly 10 percent and have claimed at least 20 lives while helping send crude prices higher on international markets.

The Agip official spoke on condition of anonymity because company rules prohibit speaking with reporters saying gunmen raided the offices in the southern oil center of Port Harcourt before noon, stealing cash.