Gunmen attacked a project site in Assa, Imo State on Monday, killing a police officer, six employees of an oil and gas services company, police have said.
The oil and gas workers were employees of the Nigerian oil and gas services company, Lee Engineering.
Monday’s latest attack marks a crescendo of attacks on oil and gas facilities which have persisted for a while.
The attacks have been mostly by men suspected to be Niger Delta militants who have been agitating for a control of proceeds from the oil industry in Nigeria burgeoning while the host communities remain impoverished.
But in this incident, the motive was unclear.
According to the Imo State Police spokesman, “We have declared the place a black spot and all efforts to arrest perpetrators are ongoing.”
“The command has put in measures to guard the workers in the area since it is prone to attack,” he said.
A Reuters report says Lee Engineering could not immediately be reached for comment.
But the Lee Engineering website says the company has a project in Assa involving the installation and construction of a gas primary treatment facility and the supply of a gas turbine generators and a waste heat recovery system.
