NG News: Soldiers raid militants' hide-out, free two expatriates
- x The Guardian -
Youths blow up ALSCON staff quarters, abduct six foreigners
From Kelvin Ebiri (Port-Harcourt) and Ayo Olagoke (Uyo)
ONE suspected militant was feared killed and two expatriates freed as government forces yesterday raided a hide-out believed to belong to a band of activist Niger Delta youths. Two expatriates, both Filipino sailors, were freed in the face-off.
Before the raid, a group of militants had blown up the residential quarters of the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSON) in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State and abducted six of the firm's foreign workers.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mr. Felix Ogbaudu has said that the whereabouts of about 14 expatriates including women and children kidnapped in the state last Friday and Saturday remain unknown.
This was disclosed to The Guardian by the media consultant to ALSCON, Mr. Vera Kurochkina.
The latest abduction brings to 30 the number of foreigners being held by different armed groups in the Niger Delta.
Kurochkina said that the abducted men include three Russians and two South Africans, adding that their Nigerian, who worked for Group Five, which is handling the Akwa Ibom Independent Power Plant, driver was killed in the attack.
The men were working at ALSCON, which is controlled by United Company RUSAL, the world's largest aluminium producer in Akwa Ibom State.
His words: "This morning at about 5.00 a.m. (0400 GMT), six (people) were kidnapped at ALSCON. They used explosive devices to blow up their apartment."
Kurochkina added that the United Company is taking all possible measures to resolve the crisis and free the hostages.
However, efforts to get in touch with the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Moses Anegbode, proved abortive as he was not available.
Some gunmen had in the early hours of Friday attacked a residential compound, which houses expatriate employees of the Eleme Petrochemical Company/ Indorama, at Akpajo in Eleme Council of Rivers State and kidnapped about 10 of them. Two policemen were killed in the process.
Similarly on Saturday, about eight gunmen dressed in riot police uniform went to a club house owned by Schlumberger Anadrill and under the guise of looking for one of their colleagues, abducted four expatiates. The foreigners included one British, one Dutch, one Pakistani and a French.
The Rivers State Police chief told The Guardian yesterday that no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction. He gave the assurance that the police and other relevant security agencies in the state would not relent in their bid to search for and secure the release of the foreigners.
The Eleme Council of chiefs headed by Dr. S.O. Ejire has appealed to the militants in the Niger Delta region to release all the expatriates abducted in recent times. The chief said the people of the kingdom were gravely worried by the recent spate of kidnapping of expatriates in the area.
He said: "We the people of Eleme are not happy. We are worried. This thing affects us too badly and we are not happy."
The monarch who acknowledged that Indorama Group since it took over the petrochemical plant late last year has contributed immensely to the wellbeing of the host communities, noted that it has uplifted the lives of the people of the Niger Delta.
According to him, "Indorama has revived a plant that didn't work for many years and has given many of our Niger Delta people jobs to feed their families. Our wellbeing is better now than before. It is unfortunate that this kind of thing is happening to Indorama".
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