Nigeria's navy says pirates have attacked and seized an oil tanker off the coast of its largest city.

According to The Associated Press, commodore Kabir Aliyu said Wednesday, Sept 5, that the attack happened off the coast of Lagos. Aliyu said he had no other immediate details about the assault.

The attack marks the third oil tanker attack in recent days in the Gulf of Guinea, which follows the continent's southward curve from Liberia to Gabon.

Piracy in West Africa has drastically increased in recent years, with pirates increasingly willing to use violence in their attacks.