Nigeria’s state security service arrested 15 persons suspected of terrorising the oil-rich but volatile Niger Delta region, the News Agency of Nigeria reported on Wednesday.
State Security Service spokesperson Ado Mu’azu was quoted as saying the suspects were arrested following President Olusegun Obasanjo’s directive to hunt down militants responsible for a spate of kidnappings and violence in the region in the past weeks.
At least 40 expatriate oil workers have been kidnapped and released after spending days or even weeks in captivity since January when separatist fighters launched their rebellion on the country’s oil industry.
Mu’azu said the suspects — arrested in southern oil-producing states of Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers this week — had been moved to Abuja for further investigations.
He said they will be prosecuted after investigation, adding that the government will no longer tolerate hostage-takings and any form of terrorism in the region, home to the country’s multibillion-dollar oil industry.
Last week, four suspected militants were arraigned in Abuja for terrorism. — Sapa-AFP