Oil thieves blow up oil pipeline

Suspected oil thieves blew up a Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) oil pipeline in Delta state on 2 March 2009. Authorities believe that the sabotage has shut down the company's North Bank and South Bank operations and has also affected the crude oil line to the Forcados Terminal. The action comes after the oil thieves warned the military's Joint Task Force (JTF) that they would bomb the crude oil pipeline unless the JTF released impounded barges.