LAGOS, Nigeria – An explosion that destroyed an Eni SpA oil pipeline in Nigeria's restive southern oil region was caused by aggrieved youths from a nearby community, a military official said Friday.

Col. Chris Musa, the head of the Bayelsa State military, said Thursday's blast was not an accident but “deliberate sabotage” by a group protesting the alleged nonpayment of fees by the energy company to the local population.

The pre-dawn explosion caused a sudden drop in pressure that halted production on pipelines carrying 47,000 barrels of oil a day. The pipes are owned by Agip, a subsidiary of Italian energy company Eni.

Eni officials could not be reached for comment Friday. The company had said on its Web site Thursday that the cause of the incident was unknown. Units had already been called in to start repairs, it said.

Musa said he did not know the extent of the damage to the pipeline and that investigations were under way to find those responsible. There were no casualties, he added.

Attacks on oil industry infrastructure in the past two years have slashed oil output by almost a quarter in Nigeria, Africa's top crude producer. The instability has helped push worldwide crude prices to historic highs.