Nigeria rebels say hit Shell site despite amnesty

Nigeria's main militant group said on Friday it had blown up a well-head in a Royal Dutch Shell oil field in Delta state overnight, hours after President Umaru Yar'Adua announced an amnesty offer for rebels.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it attacked the well-head in the Afremo oil field because the military had gone on a "punitive expedition" in Delta state shortly after the amnesty proclamation. It was not immediately possible to independently verify whether there was an attack or a military offensive. (Reuters)