* Military raids at least two suspected camps
* Operation follows spate of recent kidnappings
By Austin Ekeinde
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Nigerian security forces raided at least two suspected criminal camps in the creeks of the Niger Delta on Wednesday following a spate of kidnappings and attacks on oil facilities.
The joint military taskforce (JTF) responsible for security in the vast wetlands region, home to Africa's biggest oil and gas industry, said it was carrying out operations in Delta and Bayelsa, two of the main oil-producing states.
"At the moment we have ongoing operations in several locations simultaneously," JTF spokesman Timothy Antigha said, but added he could not immediately give any further details.
The military warned on Saturday it planned to carry out raids on suspected criminal camps in the Niger Delta and told civilians in the vicinity to leave.
A major military offensive would be the first in the heartland of the OPEC member's energy industry since an amnesty brokered by President Goodluck Jonathan began in August 2009.
Gunmen kidnapped seven Nigerian workers from an Exxon Mobil <XOM.N> oil platform late on Sunday a week after a similar attack on a rig operated by exploration firm Afren <AFRE.L> in the same waters, in which two Americans, two Frenchmen, two Indonesians and a Canadian were seized. [ID:nLDE6AE188]
Nigeria's main militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), claimed responsibility for both of the attacks.
Thousands of gunmen laid down weapons under last year's amnesty, including several MEND field commanders, but the militants were always highly factionalised and new leaders have started to emerge, security experts say.
The home of Jonathan's main adviser on the region, Timi Alaibe, who was responsible for implementing the amnesty, was attacked with explosives last week in the latest sign that the programme is stalling. (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://af.reuters.com/ ) (Writing by Nick Tattersall)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
