Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) confirmed Monday that it suspended some oil production in Nigeria after armed attackers boarded an offshore facility Sunday night, the latest in a string of incidents in Nigeria 's oil-producing Niger Delta region.

The U.S. oil giant released few details about the disurption, but an ExxonMobil spokesman said in an email that "production on the facility has been shut in as a precautionary measure." The spokesman gave no details on the amount of production affected by the incident and didn't identify the name of the field affected.

The project that was affected in the attack was the Oso project, according to multiple sources. Oso has been targeted in previous disruptions in Nigeria . It has in the past produced some 75,000 barrels of oil a day with estimated reserves of 500 million barrels of oil, according older ExxonMobil information.

Earlier ExxonMobil said in a statement that one of its Nigerian platforms "was boarded by unknown armed persons."

"Relevant government and security agencies have been informed and appropriate response measures are underway at this time," the ExxonMobil statement said.

The gunmen came in five "fast" boats, and it is possible hostages were taken, a security source told Dow Jones. Exxon Mobil was in the process of doing a head count of employees Monday morning, the source added. The attackers beat up some crew members and cut electricity to the offshore facility, according to two sources.
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