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Gunmen on a speedboat in Nigeria’s oil-
producing south killed four policemen and kidnapped
six Nigerian employees of the Agip energy firm, in the
latest unrest to hit the restive region, the security forces
said Tuesday.
The attack happened on Friday in the Nembe Creek
area of Bayelsa state, which was one of the most violent
regions of the delta at the height of an insurgency that
formally ended in 2009.
“Four policemen who were escorting a boat were attacked
and killed. Six oil workers were abducted in the
incident,” said Mustapha Anka, spokesman for the
military’s Joint Task Force in the region.
National police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu told
AFP that three officers were killed but multiple reports
from the region put the death toll at four.
A security source in the delta identified the hostages as
employees of the Nigerian subsidiary of the Italian
energy firm Agip, which is controlled by ENI, one of the
world’s largest oil companies.
Criminality, especially ransom kidnappings, has
persisted in the delta since a 2009 amnesty deal with
militant leaders ended the formal rebellion.
But there is widespread concern over escalating violence
in the region, with the amnesty deal set to expire next
year.
Officially, the peace deal offered job training and other
benefits to militants who voluntarily gave up their
arms.
But experts say that in practice the deal amounted to
massive cash payouts to gang leaders who could
resume fighting if the money is shut off.
The Niger Delta, home to Africa’s largest oil industry, is
made up of a network of rivers and creeks.
Criminal groups have a track record of speeding
around on small boats and launching gun attacks on
the security forces and oil workers.
Both foreign and Nigerian hostages have typically been
released following a ransom payment.
Source:the Vanguard
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