Niger Delta Avengers' Twitter account suspended

The Twitter account of feared militant terrorist group Niger Delta Avengers has been suspended by the social media site after the group had posted various news items of their bombing activities in Nigeria.

The group announced their existence in March 2016 and have focused their efforts on bombing oil terminals in the oil-rich African region, cutting that country´s production of the commodity to its lowest rate in two decades.

The NDA wish to create a sovereign state in the Niger Delta, and they have claimed that they have a base of young and educated militants ready to disrupt the economy to help them achieve their aims.

The group had provided updates of the details of their attacks on Twitter

Previously, the group had provided updates of the details of their attacks on Twitter and their website, but now their account will no longer be able to put out these details. It is unclear whether the Nigerian government have had any input to that decision from the social network.

Nigeria now produces about 1.9mn barrels of oil per day, a third less than what the government had originally budgeted for. The NDA, depsite numbering only a few hundred men, were able to take out a 250,000-b/d Shell export terminal.

The militants say they do not want to spill blood. But they are heavily armed and in communication with angsty independence campaigners in the south-eastern region which calls itself Biafra.

On Sunday, the group claimed that it had bombed two Chevron oil wells and three trunk lines, after having recently warned that it was not in negotiations with the government, despite claims from some to the contrary.

On Sunday the group claimed that it had bombed two Chevron oil wells and three trunk lines

They announced the latest attacks via Twitter saying: “At 1:15 a.m. on Sunday, @NDAvengers blew up two major Chevron Oil Wells. WELL 7 and WELL 8 close to Abiteye Flow Station in Delta State."

“At 11:26 p.m. on Saturday, @NDAvengers blew up two NPDC major crude trunk lines close to Batan Flow Station in Delta State. “At 9:15 p.m. on Friday, the @NDAvengers blew up Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Crude Oil Trunk Line to Warri Refinery.

“All five operations were carried out by @NDAvengers strike team. Well done soldiers.” The renewed militancy has been criticised by the IGP, who said that the attacks carried out in pipeline and oil installations in the Niger Delta region had caused environmental and security challenges.

As of 12:53 BST and following the attacks front month Brent crude futures were rising by 0.553% to $50.63 per barrel on the ICE.