Foreign oil facilities in Nigeria seized

LAGOS, Nigeria – Armed men attacked two foreign oil facilities in southern Nigeria on Thursday, and both shut down production following the assaults in the restive, oil-rich region. Royal Dutch Shell PLC, which came under attack earlier this week, began evacuating families of foreign workers, citing worsening security.

Before dawn Thursday, about a dozen gunmen attacked a Total SA pumping station, killing three security guards. The company shut the 40,000-barrel-a-day facility to “ensure the total protection of the site,” spokesman Paul Floren said by phone from Paris.

Gunmen later occupied a facility owned by the Italian company Eni SpA. In a statement on its Web site, Eni said no injuries or damages were reported at the Tebidaba oil-pumping station, which shut down production. Eighteen local workers were in the facility when the attack occurred.

The station was still occupied Thursday evening, Eni said. The company said the Tebidaba station usually produces about 40,000 barrels a day.

AP