Amnesty troubled by Nigerian oil community

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LONDON, July 9 (UPI) -- Amnesty International condemned a Nigerian move to forcibly displace residents from a waterfront community situated near an oil hub.

Amnesty reported that a demolition team was sent to Abonnema Wharf at the end of June to begin razing the community, which the organization said is near major petroleum tank farms.

The rights group said it estimated that at least 10,000 people were forcibly evicted from their homes for what the government said were security reasons.

"There are indications that the government is planning further demolitions in the waterfronts," said Amnesty in a statement.

The wharf community is situated along the Niger Delta region, where militants have targeted infrastructure belonging to international oil companies.

Nigerian lawmaker Farouk Lawan, meanwhile, is under investigation for taking as much as $620,000 in bribes from fuel importers. He once led a probe into similar claims early this year, Bloomberg News reports.

Roddy Barclay, a regional analyst for London consultant group Control Risks, told Bloomberg the probe is symbolic of industrial reform measures supported by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

"The government's record on driving reform and tackling corruption has been underwhelming," he said.