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Daily Champion (Lagos)
15 May 2007
Posted to the web 15 May 2007
Chukwudi Obi
Lagos
The incessant abduction of expatriate oil workers in the volatile Niger-Delta region and the huge ransom allegedly demanded for and paid to secure their release have turned hostage-taking to a money-spinner to those involved.
The hostages will be released unconditionally on May 10, 2007. This will only be possible if the oil government make no attempts to secure the release of these hostages by offering ransom. Any such offers will be viewed as a slight and will compound the situation of these hostages.
The last has not been heard of the Niger Delta militants. At least for now and until they get what they are looking for. Already, cracks have been noticed in their group. They have started fighting themselves and having factions. In a recent e-mail to our correspondents, a man who identified himself as Akpos Nobena and the authentic leader of Movement for the emancipation of Niger Delta, MEND accused Henry Okah (Gbomo Jomo) spokesperson of a faction of MEND of sabotaging the efforts of the Niger-Deltans through hostage taking, bank robbery and planning up oil installations.
"The accused (Henry Okah-Gbomo Jomo) on his own insisted that for the struggle to go on unimpeded with enough funds and arms ammunitions, we should resort to bank robbery, hostage taking and extortion from people in government or multi-national companies.
He has even extended his activities beyond the Niger Delta by recruiting Asari's people to go and over throw the government of Equatorial Guinea.
This is no little way has brought to the fore how the hostage-taking saga all began and the real motive behind it.
However the kidnapping is yet to stop as just recently, from expatriate oil workers were taken hostage. The workers all United States citizens were working at a barge of the coast near Chevron's Escravos crude export terminal in Warri, Delta State.
The abduction care on the heels of the release of 11 workers of Daewoo Engineering by the militants. They are eight Filipinos and three Koreans.
This is not extract from an action movie or a terrorist-related movie. It is an extract from the creeks. Yes, from Gbomo spokesperson, Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta, (MEND).
Precisely on May 1, 2007, the group began what has now become their favourite past time, kidnapping. Reports had it that the militant youths abducted four Italians, one American and a Croatian at the Pennington Terminal of the Chevron Texaco oil company, in Ogbobiri local government off the coast of Bayelsa State.
The militants, reportedly overpowered the Joint Task Force security personnel, and by shooting sporadically into the air held all the workers hostage, then took the expatriate oil workers away after some hours.
In an e-mail to various media correspondents, the spokesperson for MEND stated that the attack apart from disclaiming its endorsement of the incoming administration will also serve as a warning to Shell Petroleum Development Commission (SPDC), concerning its return to oil fields it had attacked earlier.
However, Wednesday's kidnap coincided with the kidnap of River State governor-elect's 70 year-old mother, Mrs Nwahia Omehio Ubima in her hometown in Ikwere local government area.
However, she has since been released unhurt. Just like a harvest of kidnaps, Sunday, armed youths in the Niger Delta abducted a British oil worker offshore Brass, Bayelsa State.
According to reports, the Briton was whisked away form an indigenous oil firm, Conoil.
The identity of the Briton is yet to be ascertained while no group has claimed responsibility for such kidnapping goes hand in gloves with ransom. The motive for the act will determine the nature of the ransom. While some come in cash others come in form of agreement to change the state of affairs.
In a country like Columbia, it is cash while any terrorist-related kidnap does not want cash but to press for something.
In the Niger Delta region, it is combination of both. The militant youths kidnap and blow up oil installations to press for development while other militant youths also in that region kidnap for monetary gain.
In past three years, over one billion naira is said to have been doled out to effect the release of some of the expatriate oil workers kidnapped by militants. It is even said that hostage-taking in the Niger Delta has now become big business even prominent people mobilise the youths to carry out such acts for their own nefarious and pecuniary gains.
This can only be confirmed by two alleged militants arrested by the Rivers State Police Command recently and paraded before journalists. The first, Nnamdi Eme, a Mass Communication graduate of Rivers State University told journalists that he was recruited by one prince who had earlier contested in the state's gubernatorial primary elections and flopped.
According to Eme, his appointment took effect on February and his job description include buying the militants food drinks and other things they need, like an office boy.
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