LAGOS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's military has deployed gunboats in the oil-rich Delta State, following threats by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) to blow up the pipelines of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the area, reported the Punch newspaper on Saturday.

    The insurgent group has threatened to destroy the pipeline identified as System 2C and other major oil pipelines in the Niger Delta region, within 30 days to prove that it did not collect protection funds from the NNPC, according to the report.

    The System 2C supplies crude oil to the Warri and Kaduna refineries from the production platforms of the American oil giant, Chevron Nigeria Limited, in Escravos, Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.

    The vandalizing of the pipeline in February 2006 led to the closure of the two refining plants for two years. They were only re-opened in March 2008.