Niger Delta militants on Wednesday released 16 remaining oil employees of a sub-contractor to Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell two days after kidnapping a group of workers, an industry spokesperson said.
”I can confirm that the remaining hostages were released this morning. They were 24 or so in number. Nine were released yesterday [Tuesday],” the spokesperson, who requested anonymity, told Agence France-Presse.
On Monday, about 70 men attacked a site belonging to the Royal Dutch Shell company in neighbouring Rivers State, killing 14 soldiers and kidnapping 25 workers.
”The efforts paid off this morning when the remaining oil workers were released unhurt,” the industry official, a spokesperson for a major oil group, said, adding no ransoms were paid.
He said the men were seized to ”serve as a shield for the separatist fighters in their face-off with the Nigerian security agents”.
”The men were upbeat. No harm was done to any of them,” he added.
Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC), a grouping of several separatist movements.
The JRC said in a published statement the attack was aimed at obtaining the immediate release of Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo Asari, the imprisoned leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force who is on treason charges in Abuja.
Wednesday’s release came just as news filtered in that five expatriate employees of a sub-contractor to Exxon Mobil were abducted and two Nigerian security guards shot dead in southern Akwa Ibom State late on Tuesday. — Sapa-AFP