Kidnappers say US hostage in Nigeria gravely ill

[951-Riverside]

LAGOS (Reuters) - A U.S. oil worker being held hostage in Nigeria is seriously ill and if he dies his kidnappers will kill the other three men in their custody, the kidnappers told Reuters in a telephone call on Thursday.

A man who identified himself as the ground commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta...

http://feeds.feedburner.com/reuters/worldNews?m=11054

Updated Story: http://feeds.feedburner.com/reuters/worldNews?m=11060


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I've never heard of this story before today.

[MrSlayer]

1. This is certainly a strange threat.

He better not die or we'll kill the others!

Weird.

[ovidsen]

2. The kidnap/death threat is a new twist to me

I read about rebel attacks on Shell oil rigs this past week, either in the newspaper or on the Web somewhere, but it was buried on page A13; a paragraph or two at best... and NOTHING about kidnapped Americans!

You'd think a story like this would be getting more attention, so I'll kick and reccommend it.

[EuroObserver]

3. The BBC earlier today had this linked from their Africa page:

Nigeria hostages 'in good health';
But now they have this: Nigeria rebels claim more attacks

From the earlier piece:

The four foreign oil workers kidnapped by Nigerian militants have told Reuters news agency they are in good health.

The four - from the UK, US, Bulgaria and Honduras - were taken hostage by armed men on speedboats a week ago while in the Niger Delta region.
...
A man who said he was Briton Nigel Watson-Clark said that the Nigerian military should not try to use force to rescue them.

He also read out five demands, which the kidnappers said should be met within 48 hours:

* Local control of the region's oil wealth
* The payment of $1.5bn by Shell to Bayelsa State to compensate for pollution
* The release of separatist leader Mujahid Dokubu Asari, being held on treason charges
* The release of former Bayelsa State governor Diepreye Alamieyaseigha, accused of corruption and money-laundering
* The release of another ethnic Ijaw militant.


From the current piece:

Nigerian militants who say they have kidnapped four foreign oil workers and attacked a Shell oil platform claim to have carried out more raids.

The group says it attacked platforms run by the Total and Agip oil firms. Both companies have denied the claims.

The increased tension in the Niger Delta region has pushed up oil prices to more than $67 (£38) a barrel.

The four foreign workers, who are said to be in good health, have been held hostage for close to a week.

President Olusegun Obasanjo has appealed to the kidnappers to "not to do anything that might result in the loss of lives" and has set up a committee to work for their "prompt release".

In a statement, the previously unknown rebel group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, said its ultimate aim was "to prevent Nigeria from exporting oil".

ed. I find it difficult to reconcile the 2 concepts "Local control of the region's oil wealth" and "prevent Nigeria from exporting oil", except in a secessionist sense.