PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian gunmen fired at Royal Dutch Shell oil facilities in the restive Niger Delta early on Tuesday but the attack did not affect operations, security and industry sources said.

Gunmen loyal to militant leader “Kitikata” fired a “few rounds” near security guards protecting Shell oil facilities in Nembe Creek in Bayelsa state. No one was hurt or injured in the attack, security sources said.
“There was an incident at two Shell oil flow stations, but no production was affected,” said a private security source, who did not want to be named.
Violence in the Niger Delta, the heart of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, has cut a fifth of the country’s oil output in recent years.
A military spokesman said the attackers delivered a letter to security guards threatening more attacks if Shell did not provide more funds to the local community. He could not confirm whether shots were fired in the incident.
Shell officials were not immediately available for comment.
An industry source said the gunmen had demanded Shell give them a security contract to protect its oil facilities in Nembe Creek, a hot spot for attacks.
Militants say they are fighting for a greater share of the region’s oil wealth after decades of neglect. But the breakdown of law and order in the delta has allowed criminal gangs to thrive by kidnapping for ransom and stealing crude.
Local communities have sometimes tried to sabotage oil facilities to force the multinationals to pay them compensation for the resulting environmental damage, security experts say.
Nigeria’s most prominent militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), last month ended a five-month-old ceasefire and threatened more attacks against the oil sector. It was not clear whether Kitikata has links to MEND.