Africa News
Three Italians taken hostage after Nigeria militant attack
Dec 7, 2006, 10:42 GMT
Nairobi/Abuja - Nigerian militants took three Italians hostage after raiding an oil plant early on Thursday which is owned by Italian company ENI SpA, reports said.
Police in Bayelsa State, where the hostages were taken, said at least one other person was also abducted.
'The militants came in four boats and abducted four or five expatriates,' said Bayelsa State police commissioner Hafiz Ringim.
The last couple of months have seen growing unrest in the Niger Delta, where militants calling for a greater say over the use of natural resources and protesting environmental destruction by oil companies have kidnapped dozens of expatriate workers, usually releasing them unharmed after a short period.
In October, militants took more than 40 oil workers hostage for two days. In another incident, seven hostages, including four Scots, were released unharmed after being held for three weeks.
Some kidnappings turn violent, and last month, a Briton was killed in a botched rescue attempt.
Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo has tried unsuccessfully to quell the violence, both through dialogue and attempted disarmament.
Oil and gas account for more than 90 per cent of Nigeria's total annual income.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in Africa
- 1. Several dead in car bombing in northern Nigeria
- 2. Mogadishu blast kills seven, including sports chiefs
- 3. Seven dead in Mogadishu suicide bomb attack
- 4. ANC suspends Youth League leader with immediate effect
- 5. Police arrest Uganda's opposition leader and others at protest march
Older Talkback
