ABUJA, Nigeria, April 26 (UPI) -- Oil output in Nigeria is falling despite spiking global demand, officials said.
The BBC reported Saturday that two of the nation's biggest oil producers -- Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell -- have cut production in part because of attacks from militants.
Oil production in Nigeria is about 25 percent below the official capacity of 2.5 million barrels a day. Nigeria is the world's eighth largest oil producer.
The BBC said militiamen in the Niger Delta have blown up a section of a Shell pipeline, in the fourth such attack in the last week.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta promised continued attacks.
"Our candid advice to the oil majors is that they should not waste their time repairing any lines, as we will continue to sabotage them," the militant group said in a statement.
Complicating the situation is a labor dispute at Exxon Mobil, where a strike began recently over pay and working conditions.
