6 Foreign Oil Workers Kidnapped in Bayelsa
Alamieyeseigha cuts short overseas trip
From John Iwori in Yenagoa
A resurgent siege on oil workers hit the industry yesterday after about six expatriate staff of an oil services firm, Conoil Limited, a subsidiary of Consolidated Oil Limited, were held hostage by suspected Ijaw youths at Sang-ana in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Although the cause of the youths action and the nationalities of the foreign workers could not be immediately ascertained, THISDAY checks revealed that the hostage taking incident might not be unconnected with the youths' demand on the oil service company for employment and contract opportunities.
The development, coming barely three months after four oil workers, including two Americans, were killed in the Niger Delta area, forced the Balyesa State Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, to cut short his trip to the United Kingdom.
It was learnt that the irate youths took over the facilities of the oil service firm late yesterday following the breakdown of negotiations with the company's management.
Sources said while the youths militants demanded full employment in the company as long as its contract lasts, the management of Conoil Ltd insisted that they do not have the requisite experience and qualifications to work in the company. The youths insisted that the oil company's position was "unbearable and unacceptable".
"That is why they went into negotiations with the management of the company but when this did not yield the desired results, the aggrieved youths took over the oil facilities and held the workers on duty hostage", the source explained.
It was gathered that while the embassies of the affected expatriate staff had been contacted, President Olusegun Obasanjo was also said to have contacted Alamieyeseigha and his deputy, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
Alamieyeseigha who was on the entourage of Vice President Atiku Abukabar to United Kingdom was asked to return to the country immediately.
Already, a rescue team made up of top government functionaries from the area has been put together by the state government.
The team will be leaving the state capital, Yenagoa this morning to Sangana.
"The rescue team mission is to secure the release of the abducted oil workers with minimal involvement of security agents," another source said. The state government was said to have taken the option of using prominent indigenes of the area to secure the release of the workers to avoid any confrontation between the irate youths and security operatives which may lead to loss of lives.
Sangana, Fish Town, Ezetu I and II, Kolokuama I and II in Bayelsa State are the host communities to American oil giant, Chevron-Texaco.
Disagreements between the management of the oil company and the people of the host communities over the implementation of memorandum of understanding (MOU) had often led to the abduction of oil workers in the past.
Yesterday's incident was the latest in the act of kidnapping of oil workers by militant youths in the oil-producing Niger Delta region to press demand for cash, jobs and contracts.
Mid last year, seven foreign oil workers were kidnapped by suspected Ijaw militants who demanded N46 million as ransom to release their hostages. The workers including two Colombians, a Briton, one Australian, a Russian and a Scot, were abducted while testing an evacuation boat.
The kidnap was preceded by an earlier fierce battle between Nigerian Navy personnel and Ijaw youths over the rescue of 16 oil workers held hostage by Ijaw militants on two ChevronTexaco oil platforms offshore in Bayelsa State. The act led to the loss of 23,000 barrels of oil per day. One of the militants was killed while another youth and an oil worker were wounded during the operation.
Militants also took hostage - nine oil workers employed by Shell. The contract workers were ambushed while ferrying supplies by barge to Shell's Forcados/Yokri oil and gas facility in the Niger Delta.
In April 2003, about 100 Nigerian oil workers took 170 Nigerians and 97 of their foreign colleagues hostage during a wildcat strike over transportation and other demands. The rigs were about 25 miles off Nigeria's southern coast.
The nation and the oil industry was visibly shaken when militant youths attacked a boat carrying some oil workers on the Benin River last April, killing seven people including four oil workers and three naval personnel.
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