Posted by By Henry Chukwurah, Port Harcourt and Emmanuel Ogoigbe, Warri on
Less than 48 hours after the release of the kidnapped mother of Rivers State governor-elect, Madam Cecilia Omehia, Niger Delta militants, Thursday, struck at two separate locations in the state and kidnapped 19 expatriates and one Nigerian.
…Kill one soldier, lose three men
Less than 48 hours after the release of the kidnapped mother of Rivers State governor-elect, Madam Cecilia Omehia, Niger Delta militants, Thursday, struck at two separate locations in the state and kidnapped 19 expatriates and one Nigerian.
They also abducted two expatriates who were relaxing at a beer parlour along Enerhen Road, in Delta State.
The rampaging militants abducted eight expatriates from a vessel about 50 nautical miles off the coast of Bonny, eleven expatriates and a Nigerian from a Shell location at Afam in Oyigbo local government area of the state.
In the Afam incident, one soldier lost his life, while a policeman was seriously wounded during a gun duel between security agents attached to the location and the militants. Also, the militants suffered three casualties.
However, the Bonny batch of hostages was released some hours later, after a four-hour forced cruise in a speedboat in the creeks.
The two attacks occurred just as news of a pipeline explosion in Emohua community in the state filtered into the capital city.
Checks by Daily Sun revealed that those kidnapped from Afam whose whereabouts remained unknown as at press time, comprised of eight Fillipinos, three Koreans and the Nigerian.
They are employees of Daewoo Nigeria Limited, an oil-servicing company executing a Shell Petroleum contract in Afam community.
The kidnapped expatriates include three South Koreans, Messrs Joeing Tae Young, and Haik Husan who is the Site Manager, and Jong Tae, the Safety Manager.
The Filipinos were identified as Messrs Nelson Santias, Fernado Santos, Philip Rivera, Ernesto Larosa, Romie Aromia Evan Fuentes, Dollesia Lowd, and Bernard Pareja.
One of the delta victim was identified as a Dutch named Peter Hendrikus van Kampen, a former staff of a construction company, UNIWELL Nigeria Ltd, who lost his job in 2002.
It was reliably gathered that during the early morning invasion, the gunmen who initially met with stiff resistance in Rivers, from security men attached to the location, shot dead a soldier and wounded a police corporal.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
When contacted, Army spokesman, Major Sagir Musa, confirmed to Daily Sun that one soldier was killed in the shootout while three of the militants, said to be about 30, were felled.
The eight lucky hostages in the Bonny area who regained their freedom some hours after their abduction included a Romanian, Trofin Betrot; Mr. Dan Ford, an Australian; Mr. Hector Gomez, a Chilean and David Flounders, a Briton.
Others are two Croatians, Messrs Imia Leka and Dean Stifanic, and two Polish nationals identified as Messrs Wieskan Mazurek and Iber Marcin.
Recounting their experiences, Mr. Flounders who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said they were attacked at about 3.30 a.m. by some gunmen aboard their vessel, FPSO MYSTRAS, that was on a routine business for FMPP, a joint venture company for SBM and SAIPEN Nigeria Limited.
The Briton said the armed men later ordered them into a waiting speedboat at about 6 a.m. and took them on an unsolicited ride through the creeks to an unknown destination.
He thanked the Rivers State Government for its quick intervention that led to their release.
Receiving the hostages at the Government House, the State Commissioner for Local Government, Mr. Clapton Ogolo, apologized to them for the ugly incident and condemned the act in clear terms.
Ogolo, who said that the hostages were released to the state government unconditionally, assured that official steps were being taken to stem the criminal act.
Present at the handover ceremony was the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Felix Ogbaudu who also condemned the ugly trend, which he described as unethical and a disgrace to the region.
Security sources that spoke on the Delta incident said, "If the kidnappers think they have hit a goldmine by taking Peter, they would certainly find that to be a mistake because the man has not been able to pay his rent for several years now."
The sources said the management of the estate had already given him a notice to quit the apartment because of his inability to pay his rent adding: "The man was drowning his sorrow in bottles of beer when the armed men invaded the place and took him away in the dead of the night."
Delta State Police spokesperson, Ms. Bisi Okuwobi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, (ASP), confirmed the incident but assured that the police were on top of the situation to facilitate his early release.