Details were scanty at the time of this report, but diplomatic and security sources have confirmed the incident.

Niger Delta has been an undeclared warfront for foreign oil companies, as their employees and contractors are frequently kidnapped by militants. The militants from time to time order them to leave their region or face their wrath.

These threats and abductions have forced some companies to pull out hundreds of their workers from the region, which has reduced Nigerian daily oil output by 500,000 barrels.

Photo Above: An unidentified masked Nigerian militant. All members of Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) militant group wear masks.