# Another Nigerian oil field hijack



## rushie (Jul 5, 2005)

From the Guardian Unlimited - 

_The Foreign Office says contact had been made with seven foreign oil workers - including four Britons - taken hostage in Nigeria, as efforts continued today to secure their safe release.
Sources in Nigeria have spoken to one of the workers, who reportedly confirmed that he and his colleagues were "OK", a Foreign Office spokesman said.

The oil workers were snatched at gunpoint from a residential compound in the country's southern Akwa Ibom state on Tuesday._

_There have been unconfirmed reports that the kidnappers have demanded a £21m ransom for the release of the Britons - £5.3m for each captive.
The four Britons are all believed to be from north-east Scotland. One of the workers is Paul Smith, an engineer from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, who had been working in Nigeria for about a year.

The names of the other three Britons have yet to be released.

The Foreign Office has not revealed the nationality of the captured man spoken to last night but it said further contact with the kidnappers was expected to take place today.

"Intensive efforts are being made to secure the release of the workers," the spokesman added.

The Nigerian military has carried out a series of raid on militants after the deaths of 17 soldiers in the Niger delta. Militants claim government soldiers destroyed a village in the raids.

Today the army launched a search and rescue mission to locate missing soldiers, following the skirmishes earlier this week.

The country's president, Olusegun Obasanjo, was meeting today with security chiefs as the spiralling crisis helped push petroleum prices higher worldwide.

Eighteen British nationals have been kidnapped this year in six separate incidents. Kidnappings generally end peacefully, with hostages returned unharmed.

Nigeria's police and armed forces have now cordoned off the compound where Tuesday's kidnapping took place.

Three of the British men worked for Aberdeen-based Sparrows Offshore.

A spokesman for the firm said: "We are in constant contact with the families in the UK and will be keeping them informed of developments."

Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer, although recent attacks by armed groups have led to a drop of almost a quarter of the country's usual output.

Militants have blown up pipelines in attempts to further their demands for local control of oil revenues by inhabitants of the oil-producing south.

Other groups have kidnapped oil workers to use as bargaining tools to put pressure on oil companies to create jobs or improve benefits.

In January, rebels seized Nigel Watson-Clark and three other foreign workers from an offshore oil platform. The former paratrooper had been about to return home after spending four weeks patrolling oilfields when he was captured.__He was held by an armed gang for 19 days before finally being released._

Rushie


----------



## lochluichart (Aug 24, 2005)

Latest ransom demand reported is £21 million for release of the seven.
Situation in Delta is steadily escalating with more kidnaps and attacks. 

I say Delta because some tabloids are just saying Nigeria which gives a wrong picture.
I am off to Lagos in 10 days to do a crew change and will be based there for approx 5 weeks. Our operation is offshore Delta but we are moving vessel to offshore Lagos for crew change by helicopter to avoid moving people through the Delta area. 
The inaccurate reporting adds to the tension on the crew and their families.


----------



## gdynia (Nov 3, 2005)

lochluichart said:


> Latest ransom demand reported is £21 million for release of the seven.
> Situation in Delta is steadily escalating with more kidnaps and attacks.
> 
> I say Delta because some tabloids are just saying Nigeria which gives a wrong picture.
> ...


Stay Safe Lochluichart I was there last year and know how the inaccurate reports affected my family.Unfortunately my time was spent in the swamps and its an experience I never want again.(Thumb)


----------



## lochluichart (Aug 24, 2005)

Gdynia,
Thanks for the thoughts. Don't worry as a good Scotsman I keep my head down unless it's my shout at the bar. 
Cheers


----------

