Nigeria: Staggering weapons cache found

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, March 12 (UPI) -- A large weapons cache reportedly was seized from an abandoned military base in Nigeria said to be used by one of the country's militant groups.

The cache of assorted guns and ammunition was said by one official to be substantial enough to raise an army, Nigeria's Guardian newspaper reported Wednesday.

The weapons allegedly belonged to known militant leader Ateke Tom. At the camp, Nigerian authorities said they also discovered an illegal pipeline for stealing oil.

Tom told the BBC his men were not responsible for erecting the pipeline.

Militants in the Niger Delta have been waging an ongoing battle against Nigerian forces in the oil-rich, albeit impoverished, region while calling for a more equitable distribution of the country's petroleum profits.