Three Britons, one Colombian kidnapped in Nigeria






Gunmen Tuesday seized three Britons and a Colombian, shooting dead their police escort in the first major kidnapping for six months in southern Nigeria's Niger Delta.

The four -- contract workers for the Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell -- were abducted as they travelled to work from the southern oil city of Port Harcourt to the Shell-operated Afam power plant, police said.

"They were ambushed by gunmen," near the small town of Obehi, said Rivers State police spokeswoman Rita Abbey, adding that police were concentrating their search in the area.

Obehi is about halfway between Port Harcourt and Aba, the workers' intended destination, situated 50 kilometres northeast of Port Harcourt.

The gunmen shot dead the police officer escorting the group and wounded their driver.

A Shell spokesman in Nigeria said: "We are concerned for the safety of the contractor staff and our thoughts are with them and their families at this difficult time."

A spokesman for the Foreign Office in Britain said: "We are aware of the reports that three British nationals have been kidnapped in Nigeria and are urgently investigating these claims."

The incident was the first major kidnapping in southern Nigeria since July last year, following a lull after a government amnesty which saw thousands of militants lay down their arms.

Armed groups claiming to seek a fairer share of oil revenue for locals have since 2006 staged attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta, playing havoc with crude output and international oil prices.

The main rebel group in the restive region, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it had "no hand" in the abduction of the workers.

No known ransom demands have been made.

In October MEND declared an open-ended ceasefire to give dialogue with authorities a chance.

But at the weekend, MEND said it was "reviewing its indefinite ceasefire announced on Sunday, October 9, 2009 and will announce its position on or before January 30, 2010".

The absence of President Umaru Yar'Adua for nearly two months for medical reasons has not helped efforts to end the violence with militants reportedly unhappy at the slow progress of the process to re-integrate them into their communities.

"The president's absence has certainly jeopardised the entire peace process because there is no structure," a MEND spokesman told AFP.

Hundreds of foreign and local oil workers have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta since 2006. Many have been released unharmed, others after ransom payments.

Last year Shell said 133 of its workers and contractors had been kidnapped between 2006 and 2008.

Militants have also attacked pipelines and offshore facilities and even Lagos harbour. At the weekend, militants targeted Chevron pipelines in a second such attack the government's unconditional pardon came into effect in August last year.

At the peak of the violence in the Delta, production dipped by up to a third of pre-2006 levels in the world's eighth largest oil exporter.

Oil is the economic mainstay of Nigeria, raking in some 95 percent of the country's earnings and contributing about 85 percent of budget requirements for the OPEC member country.

Nigeria plans to offer inhabitants of the nine oil-producing states an extra 10 percent of oil and gas revenues, in addition to the 13 percent they already get, in a bid to end violence.

http://odili.net/news/source/2010/jan/12/102.html

oh, I see.

The southerners (behind the deal) want to make Nigeria ungovernable to make way for a coup or something of that sort.

Is MEND in Abia State?Criminals kidnapped those men just like they have been kidnapping and killing Nigerians on that route everyday.NO BE MEND.About 3 prominent Rivers State citizens have lost their lives there(Obehie).just check out this link.

nigerianobservernews.com/24122009/news/national/news1.html

Emeka have u seen what ur people are doing, na money go kill una,

Who is my people?. How sure are you its not your people doing it in Rivers state?. Are there no Yoruba and Igbo armed robbers in Katsina state?

Below is the history of your people with violence:

1953,igbos attacked in kano over the plan by AG to hold a campagn in kano,

1966,igbo attacked allover the north b/c ironsi wanted to start a unity govt.

1966(july)igbos killed allover the north after the overthrow of ironsi, over 30,000 igbos and south southerners slaughtered in cold blood

1967-1970 civilians in captured biafran villages massacred by nigerian soldiers

1987,maitasaine riots in the north,igbos, ijaws, Ibiobios victims in maidugiri,gombe,katsina et al,

1991,igbos killed in kano b/c reinhard bonke wanted to organise a crusade in kano,

1991,igbos, ijaws, efiks,ibibios killed in bauchi b/c a butcher sold pork to a muslim,

2000 igbos killed in kaduna over sharia law

2002,igbos killed in kaduna over miss world contest

2006 igbos massacred again in the North over Danish cartoon about Islam.

2008  over 300 Yorubas and few igbos/ijaws killed in Jos over supremacy in another man's land.

The list is endless.

Abagworo:

Is MEND in Abia State?Criminals kidnapped those men just like they have been kidnapping and killing Nigerians on that route everyday.NO BE MEND.About 3 prominent Rivers State citizens have lost their lives there(Obehie).just check out this link.

nigerianobservernews.com/24122009/news/national/news1.html

Liar its Mend

Abagworo:

Is MEND in Abia State?Criminals kidnapped those men just like they have been kidnapping and killing Nigerians on that route everyday.NO BE MEND.About 3 prominent Rivers State citizens have lost their lives there(Obehie).just check out this link.

nigerianobservernews.com/24122009/news/national/news1.html

MEND struck in Delta state late last month and it's in retaliation for the FG's crawling response to their agreed terms and conditions for ceasing fire.

aloy*emeka:

The main rebel group in the restive region, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it had "no hand" in the abduction of the workers.

Fumi, are you dense?. . . . this has nothing to do with MEND as quoted above. . . . you berra change the title of ya thread.

Ibime:

Fumi, are you dense?. . . . this has nothing to do with MEND as quoted above. . . . you berra change the title of ya thread.

tell dem abeg.we wey dey here know wetin dey happen for that aba road.

MEND cannot kidnap at Obehie for any reason.

Abeg change your headline! MEND isn't involved in this!!

@Aloy.Emeka
That was quick. Thank you well well for the change of headline.  You try!

All these kidnaps are getting out of hand
What are the Nigerian Law Enforcement Agencies doing?

Did the police escort even shoot back at the kidnappers wounding or killing some of them, with all the big guns the carry around I wonder what they use it for ?

The Aba - Obehie is noted for high level kidnapping and robbery. The boys know that this would be a big pay day. Thus the killing of the police eescort.

The Modus Operandi does not match the MEND styles and also the terrain is for the Aba boys, so leave mend out of this.