Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- An armed militant group is claiming that it has attacked an oil pipeline in the Niger Delta region.
The claim made Tuesday by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) could not be immediately verified by CNN but the group has attacked many pipelines in the oil-rich area before.
"This attack and similar attacks on pipelines which will take place within the next few days is a reminder to the Nigerian government of the futility of wasting the nations resources in combating militancy without addressing the underlying causes of agitation in the Niger Delta," the group said in a statement.
MEND is one of several militant groups in the Niger Delta that has been battling the government for years over the distribution of the country's oil wealth.
CNN's Christian Purefoy contributed to this report.
