MEND kidnaps 7 oil workers

MEND kidnaps 7 oil workers

News Nov 12, 2010 By Emma Amaize
WARRI – MOVEMENT for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta, MEND, has kidnapped seven foreign workers of four oil servicing companies in Akwa-Ibom State.
Two of the workers, James Robertson and Jeffrey James, working for Transocean are from the United States of America; Patrick Weber and Mignon Gilles, who work for Transocean and Sodexco respectively hail from France.
The three other victims are Robert Croke, a Canadian national working for PPI, Robert Tampubolon and Permana Nugraha, both of Century Energy Services Limited (Century Bumi JV) from Indonesia.
The group, which attacked the Shallow-Water Okoro Oilfield in the state , November 7 , confirmed ,yesterday, in an electronic mail statement , that it abducted the oil workers after the attack to prevent the Nigerian government from denying the attack.
The militant group said its fighters met stiff resistance from the Nigerian military when they stormed the oil facility, but after a gun battle, the soldiers were overpowered and they stopped short of burning the facility as instructed.
On the health of the kidnapped foreigners, it said, “The 7 individuals are all in good health and will be in our custody for a while”.
Part of the statement reads: “On November 7th, 2010, fighters of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (M.E.N.D) attacked the Shallow-water Okoro oilfield in Akwa Ibom state of the Niger Delta’.
‘Our fighters reported stiff resistance from the Nigerian military stationed at this facility.
‘After an intense fire fight, the resistance from the Nigerian military was subdued.
“Our fighters cost extensive damage on this facility and attempted to set it ablaze as they were instructed to do.
“As earlier reported, we took custody of 3 French nationals and 1 Thai national abducted about 2 months ago by a militia group in the Niger Delta. Owing to their generally poor state of health, we were compelled to release them on humanitarian grounds.
‘The abduction of the 7 expatriates from the Shallow-water okoro oilfield in Akwa Ibom state was to prevent the Nigerian government from denying the attack on this facility”, it said.