PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (AFP) - Nigeria's army launched an offensive against a separatist rebel group which has threatened oil installations and workers in the southern Delta region, an army spokesman said.
"The Joint Task Force has instituted a continuous 24-hour patrol in Port Harcourt (Nigeria's oil city) and its surrounding creeks. There is also a crack team of standby troops to reach any part of the state on short notice," JTF spokesman Captain Onyema Kanu told AFP.
A separatist movement, the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF), led by Mujahid Dokubo Asari, which claims to fight for the interests of ethnic Ijaw people of the oil-rich region, late Monday threatened to destroy oil installations and warned foreigners to quit the region.
Asari later denied the threat to destroy the oil installations.
"With such an unguarded threat from the gang leader, the JTF is being catalysed to manifest full military colour in the creeks of Rivers State only if that will guarantee security of lives and property and fish out the gangsters," the JTF statement said.
The JFT warned Asari and "his like to stop steering internal insurrection in the creeks."
It also urged expatriate oil workers and local citizens to go about their usual business as troops will "continue to comb the creeks to fish and flush out the gangsters."
The JTF announcement of round-the-clock patrols came as rebel leader Asari said he was in the capital for talks with President Olusegun Obasanjo, but the head of state's office denied plans for a meeting.
"I'm in Abuja already, in the town, I arrived early this morning. They sent the presidential jet to fetch me," Asari said by telephone.
"There is no such appointment with the president," Obasanjo's spokeswoman Remi Oyo said, again denying the claim Asari first made by satellite telephone late Tuesday.
The conflicting statements came two weeks after the government sent troops to Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State, and other parts of the delta in the wake of fighting between two armed gangs for control of the area's illegal crude oil extraction and smuggling operations.
Nigeria is Africa's leading oil producer, turning out at least 2.3 million barrels a day, but the NVPDF, accused by the government of trafficking oil, has told multinationals to leave the delta.
"I'm in downtown Abuja, we are waiting," Asari said. "Me and a delegation of five persons, five of my commanders and ADCs (aides de camp). The president's office said they'll send someone to take us to meet Obasanjo."
World oil prices were early Wednesday just above 50 dollars per barrel. The United States is a key client for Nigeria's light, low-sulphur crude, most suitable for refining into petrol.