The military spokesman in the Niger Delta Mustapha Anka, on Monday announced that Gunmen have kidnapped three Dutch nationals working for a civil society group in Ekeremor, Bayelsa State.
He said the victims were on their way to inspect a hospital built by US oil giant Chevron, when they were abducted.
“There were from the Netherlands. Two male and one female” Anka said. “They went to inspect a hospital built by Chevron with an NGO. They were not guarded by anybody”.
The Bayelsa state police spokesman, Alex Akhigbe, confirmed the incident, saying; “Three expatriates tried to access the Ekeremor local government area without security and were abducted”
Meanwhile, several expatriates, especially oil workers, have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta, and many usually regain their freedom after paying ransom.
Shell, Anglo-Dutch oil giant operating in the region has a significant presence, and according to police report, the foreigners were travelling without a security detail suggesting that they were not oil workers because oil companies do not allow their staff to travel in the delta without security escort.
“I can confirm that we are aware that possibly three Dutch citizens were kidnapped in Nigeria,” a spokeswoman at the Dutch foreign ministry in The Hague said. “At this moment we are looking into it but up to now we don’t have confirmation from the local authorities”
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