A Nigerian village chief in the Niger Delta town of Warri has been murdered by local youths, after apparently trying to stop them from taking over an oil flow station belonging to the company Royal Dutch Shell.

They also burnt down the chief's house and attacked his children with machetes.

Police reinforcements have moved into the area and made several arrests.

The BBC Lagos correspondent says reports from the area say the youths were enraged by Shell's failure to provide social amenities for the community.

A spokesman for Shell in Warri says the incident resulted from intra-tribal tension and wasn't directly related to the company.