MEND claims on attacks questioned ABUJA, Nigeria, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A Nigerian militant group said a claim that it wasn't responsible for an attack on an oil pipeline is propaganda from state authorities. Nigerian news agency Vanguard this week published a statement from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta claiming responsibility for an attack on a pipeline operated by Italian energy company Eni. A Nigerian security force said the statement was a fraud, however. Jomo Gbomo, a spokesman for the Nigerian militant group, was quoted by the Platts news service as saying its statement was "authentic" and claims to the contrary were a "pathetic attempt at propaganda" by the Nigerian Joint Task Force. Nigerian crude oil production rose to more than 2.1 million barrels per day following a 2009 amnesty for Nigerian rebel groups. Vanguard had quoted MEND as saying its silence "thus far has been strategic," vowing to cut oil production down to zero in an effort to drive "thieving oil companies" out of the Niger Delta. MEND says Delta residents aren't getting their fair share of state oil revenue. The group said the latest attack was "a sign of things to come."