US oil company Chevron on Thursday reported a minor oil spill off the Nigerian coast after reports from local community leaders of a major spillage. Chevron Nigeria Limited said around 140 barrels of low-sulphur crude oil had leaked from an underwater pipeline about six nautical miles off the southern coast in its Delta Oil Field. Newspaper reports on Thursday quoted local communities as stating that “thousands” of barrels had been spilled. Communities in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region, home to the multi-billion-dollar oil industry, have for years complained of environmental degradation of their region by oil companies.