British, South Africans among latest kidnap victims in Nigerias Niger Delta
Posted by African Press International on September 12, 2008
Fears are growing in Britain and South Africa over oil workers in Nigeria after it emerged Thursday night that nationals of both countries were on board a hijacked supply boat in Nigeria.
The oil workers were seized by unidentified gunmen who stormed a supply boat in Niger Delta, include two Britons, two South Africans and a Ukrainian all being held on board the vessel which has now run aground along with eight Nigerians, according to officials.
The HD Blue Ocean was reportedly attacked by unidentified gunmen on Tuesday at the entrance of the Sambreiro River in the hostile Niger Delta, a vast network of mangrove creeks which is home to Africas biggest oil industry.
Both British and South African officials have accused Nigerian military officials of remaining silent on the attack, though the British High Commission in Nigeria, lately said they were liaising with the host authorities, aimed at ensuring release of the kidnapped workers. We have been in touch with the Nigerian authorities to press for their early release.
The latest kidnappings follow fresh calls for oil companies to pull British workers out of Nigeria after the UK government warned it would be reckless to remain without proper security advice.
The UK Foreign Office first urged workers to return home in June last year after officials ruled the security risk in the trouble-torn Niger Delta region was too severe.
Since then, some firms have withdrawn workers, but about 250 Scottish oil workers are still thought to be in Nigeria.
Kidnappings of foreign workers for ransom are common in the lawless delta, which produces around 2.5million barrels of crude oil a day for Nigeria.
Since January 2006, 36 Britons and more than 180 other foreigners have been kidnapped. One Briton was killed.
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API/Source.apa
