Nigeria militants say attack Chevron oil manifold

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's main militant group said on Monday it had sabotaged one of Chevron's crude oil pipeline junction points in the Niger Delta, the second attack in as many days.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it blew up Chevron's Okan manifold late on Sunday in the southern Delta state, hours after it attacked an oil well head operated by Royal Dutch Shell.

"The strategic Okan manifold, which controls about 80 percent of Chevron Nigeria Limited offshore crude oil to its BOP crude loading platform, was blown up at about 2045 hours on Sunday," the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said in an emailed statement.

It was not immediately possible to independently verify the statement. Chevron officials were not immediately available to comment.

Chevron, Shell and Italian energy firm Agip have shut around 273,000 barrels per day of oil production in Nigeria since MEND launched its latest string of attacks in May.

(Reporting by Randy Fabi; Editing by Jon Hemming)