Italy's Agip in Port Harcourt while the facilities of Anglo-Dutch company Shell in the city were also targeted. No one was reportedly injured in the attacks. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta claimed responsibility and vowed to continue its year-long campaign to gain more control of funds paid to the central government in the capital Abuja.Three Italians abducted by gunmen on 7 December in Nigeria's Niger Delta are still being detained. The men work for a subsidiary of Italian energy company ENI Spa
Niger Delta members include militants allegedly fighting for a greater share of oil wealth to criminal gangs demanding ransoms for hostages. Oil-worker kidnappings are common and most captives are freed unharmed.
Nigeria is the eighth biggest exporter of crude in the world but the country has been losing over 500,000 barrells per day since the beginning of this year when militants carried out a number of raids on oil installations to demand control of the oil wealth.