Posted by By HENRY CHUKWURAH, Port Harcourt, FEMI FOLARANMI, Yenagoa on
Mother of the governor-elect in Rivers State, Sir Celestine Omehia, has been kidnapped.
• Militants abduct 6 foreign oil workers in Bayelsa
Mother of the governor-elect in Rivers State, Sir Celestine Omehia, has been kidnapped.
Madam Cecilia Nwahia Omehia was abducted from her Ubima country-home in the Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state on Monday night.
Hours after her kidnap, militants also struck in Bayelsa State, where they seized four Italians, a United States national and a Croatian oil worker from a floating storage vessel.
Dependable sources stated that some unidentified gunmen arrived in the home of the governor elect's mother at about 9.30pm and whisked the elderly woman away to an unknown destination.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction that has set tongues wagging, particularly within political circles.
Madam Omehia's abduction is coming at a time the emergence of her son as the next governor of the oil-rich state, on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is raising protests, particularly, from a section of the opposition.
It was, however, not clear whether the incident was politically induced or if it is the handiwork of ransom-seekers.
When contacted, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Felix Ogbaudu, confirmed the incident. He, however, gave assurance that the police have begun to hunt for the kidnappers.
Ogbaudu told Daily Sun that he would formally brief the press on the incident.
Meanwhile, Chevron Nigeria Limited has confirmed that its storage vessel was attacked at
5.00am (0400 GMT) on Tuesday by militants claiming to be the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) members.
"The attackers forced their way on to the facility and kidnapped six expatriate employees. In the attack, government security forces suffered casualties," it added.
The MEND claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was intended to shame the government of outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is stepping down after serving two terms.
"We promised to give the present Nigerian administration a shameful send-off. This attack is one in a series intended to embarrass the regime," a MEND spokesman said in an email sent to AFP.
"It is also a warning to the incoming government, which we view as an extension of the present. We will continue with our struggle for justice until we achieve all our goals without exception," it said.
MEND identified the hostages as US national, John Stapleton, Croatian, Juricha Ruic and Raffele Pascariello, Alfonso Frawza, Ignazio Gugliota and Mario Celetano, all from Italy.
The Italian foreign ministry said four Italians were among those captured in Bayelsa State, while the Croatian government confirmed that one of its nationals had been seized.
Sources close to the Nigerian navy confirmed that Tuesday's attack left one naval personnel dead and three others wounded.