Vanguard (Lagos)
Emma Amaize
30 May 2007
Warri — MOVEMENT for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND) and the Niger-Delta Freedom Fighters (NDDF), aka Egbema One, which clashed in the creek, Sunday, following an audacious attempt by the MEND to rescue the four American hostages, kidnapped by the latter since May 8, precisely 22 days ago, have reportedly agreed on a ceasefire, raising hope, yesterday, that the foreign oil workers would be released before long.
Vanguard gathered that members of the NDDF held a meeting on the development in their camp but a top member of the group, who spoke to our reporter said: "We have not handed them over yet, they are still with us, but, there is a pointer that we will hand them over soon".
How soon? Vanguard asked. His reply, "I don't know now because we are still discussing but there is hope that they will soon be released".
It was reliably learnt that some powerful Ijaw leaders prevailed on the leaders of both militant groups to sheathe their swords. Five members of the NDDF were captured by MEND operatives who took the battle to the den of the Egbema One.
Before the cheering news, yesterday, on the cessation of hostilities between the two groups, there were conflicting reports on the fate of the four kidnapped American oil workers, as an account said the NDDF had changed its base and moved the hostages to a different location to prevent the MEND from having access to them, while the other had it that the hostages were not relocated and that the Egbema One was still in their location in the swampy forest.
In deed, a source told Vanguard, early yesterday, that the NDDF had relocated the hostages and that it was not possible to contact them on the latest development.
However, Vanguard confirmed from an NDDF source, at about 2.30 pm, that the four hostages: Chris Gay, Mike Roussel, Larry Plake and Kevin Faller, all workers of Global Industries, a servicing company to the American multinational oil company, Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), were kidnapped, May 8, precisely, 22 days ago, purportedly to compel the CNL to enter into an agreement with the militia on the company's development package for the Ijaw people of Egbema Kingdom in Warri North local government area of Delta state were not relocated, that they were still very much alive and in the camp.
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