**Five people were killed by Nigerian rebels who attacked an oil tanker facility, officials have confirmed.**Emergency crews said the bodies of five workers were found near the facility. They were all burnt beyond recognition.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said they had carried out the attack, near Lagos.
Meanwhile the leader of Mend, Henry Okah, has been released weeks after the government offered an amnesty to any rebel group willing to disarm.
But the Lagos attack marks a major escalation the activities of Mend, which has rarely attacked outside the Niger Delta.
The rebels say they are fighting the rights of local people in the Niger Delta and for an increased share of Nigeria’s vast oil wealth, but in the past the government has dismissed them as criminals.
‘Dynamite’ attack
Their attacks have severely cut Nigeria’s oil output. Production has been cut by a fifth in the last three years partly as a result of violence.
The jetty is the main entry point for ships entering Nigerian waters from the West and for oil tanker loading.
Emergency official Captain Geoffrey Boukoru told the AFP news agency the attackers had exchanged fire with the navy at the facility in Tarkwa Bay.
“The militants went into open shooting with the naval officers guarding the facility but they were overpowered. They used dynamite to destroy the manifold,” he said.
“In all five bodies were burnt beyond recognition, and they were all workers,” he said.
In an statement Mend said “heavily armed” men had “carried out an unprecedented attack on the Atlas Cove Jetty in Lagos” at 2230 (2130 GMT) on Sunday.
Mend said their fighters had “injured or killed” at least nine navy personnel guarding the facility - though those claims have not been confirmed.
Capt Boukoru, said the fire had damaged pipelines and forced the terminal to shut down for repairs.
Earlier, staff from the state-run oil firm NNPC told the BBC there had been a huge explosion followed by gunfire which lasted for about 30 minutes.
But they said there had been no loss of life.
Rebel’s release
The BBC’s Caroline Duffield in Lagos says the timing of the attacks is significant, coming at a time when the government has offered an amnesty to the militants.
She says they are sending a message to the government - that they will continue to use violence at the same time as negotiation.
They hope to put greater pressure on the government to extract greater concessions as part of the amnesty.
They want to show they have the capability to strike anywhere - even Lagos, the country’s economic heart, our correspondent says.
The alleged attack follows claims by Mend in recent days that it had blown up several oil pipelines and captured six foreign crew from onboard an oil tanker.
The government recently offered an amnesty to members of any militant group which laid down its weapons - including Mend leader Mr Okah who had been facing treason and gun-running charges.
On Friday, lawyers for Mr Okah said he had accepted the amnesty offer.
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