Ejiofor Alike With Agency Reports
6 October 2008
Lagos — Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said yesterday that it had released about 19 oil workers abducted in September but was still holding two British and a Ukrainian.
"The Nigerian hostages rescued from pirates by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) have been released in Rivers State.
Due to the location where the expatriates were kept for their safety, they cannot be released at this time because of security concerns," the group said in an e-mailed statement.
Although no independent confirmation was received on the latest development, it will be recalled that two British, two South Africans and a Ukrainian were kidnapped from an oil supply vessel, the H.D. Blue Ocean , on September 9.
MEND, which denied involvement in the incident, said later that it had rescued the five expatriates along with 22 Nigerians, but added that it was holding them as 'reward leverage' for the release of its leader, Mr Henry Okah.
However, the two South Africans have since been released, due to what MEND called 'an appeal' by Okah's wife, Mrs Azuka Okah, who resides in South Africa .
According to the group, due to the hospitality of the South African Government towards the family of the detained militant leader, Okah's wife appealed to them to intervene and ensure the release of the two South Africans. It will also be recalled that another British was released by a separate militant group in Port Harcourt on Saturday, after over two weeks in captivity. MEND, a coalition of militant groups in the Niger Delta launched itself to limelight with a spectacular attack it carried out on Shell's Forcados oil terminals on February 18, 2006. The militants blew up two pipelines, set an export tanker on fire, and kidnapped nine foreign staff of the United States oil services firm Willbros, including two Americans and a British. This singular attack kept both the Kaduna and Warri Refineries out of operations for two years, as the Chanomi Creek pipeline, a feeder pipeline that supplies crude to the refineries was one of the lines blown up. It also forced Shell to close down its western operations for over a year.
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