Nigerian security forces killed two suspected militants and arrested three in a gunbattle in the Niger Delta, a military spokesman said today.
The latest attack comes a week after Nigeria's main militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), warned of further clashes with the military.
"Suspected militants recently encountered a JTF (joint taskforce) patrol team at Degema, Rivers state, where there was a serious gun battle," said Colonel Rabe Abubakar, spokesman for the military taskforce in the Niger Delta.
Col Abubakar said the gunmen were from a camp of a "prominent militant leader" in the region, but did not say whether the group had any links to Mend.
Security experts say a loose coalition of armed factions operate under the MEND banner.
Mend, which has blown up pipelines and seized foreigners in the past, claims to be fighting for the development of the delta after decades of neglect.
Nigerian president Umaru Yar'Adua came to office two years ago promising to address the crisis in the Niger Delta, home to the Opec member's oil and gas industry.
He said this month he was ready to grant amnesty to gunmen if they agreed to lay down their weapons, but also said that security chiefs would meet soon to work out "new rules of engagement" for the region.
Reuters