Sunday, June 04, 2006

Scottish Firm's oil rig hostages released

OhMyNews published an AP report today indicating that all eight hostages kidnapped from an offshore oil rig in Nigeria were released early this morning:
''The hostages were released in the early hours of this morning,'' [police spokesman Haz] Iwendi said Sunday in the capital, Abuja.''They are on their way to Abuja.'' Police had said Saturday they were negotiating with the kidnappers and were hoping to make a breakthrough.

Iwendi declined to say whether a ransom was paid and did not say who was responsible for the hostage-taking.

The Movement for the Emancipation for the Niger Delta, the main militant group responsible for a wave of attacks and hostage takings this year in Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta, has said it was not responsible for the kidnappings.

... Presidential spokeswoman Remi Oyo had called the abduction a ''misunderstanding'' between local communities and the oil company but did not elaborate.

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