Militants kidnap another Romanian, damage vessel
Punch newspaper
Ibanga Isine, Chukwudi Akasike and Ibrahym Kazeem
Thursday, 22 Jan 2009
Heavily armed militants on Wednesday waylaid a vessel, MT Meredith, which was carrying over 4,000 metric tonnes of kerosene on the Bonny channel and kidnapped a Romanian who was on board.
A security source said the militants, who came with four speedboats, opened fire on the vessel as it was about to sail through the Bonny Fair Weather Buoy, thereby causing significant damage to it.
According to him, the 4,000 metric tonnes of AGO, belonged to Oando Nigeria Plc while the vessel was on charter by Petroleum Brokers, a maritime firm involved in the transportation of petroleum products.
It was further learnt that the gunmen damaged the engine and superstructure of the ship, a situation which made the captain to call for immediate assistance.
The source said, ”The militants overtook the vessel along the Bonny channel and opened fire on it before they forcefully went on board and abducted the Romanian.
“From the report made by the captain, the engine and superstructure of the ship have been seriously damaged. The militants disappeared into the creeks with the expatriate immediately after.”
Another Romanian, Mrs. Adriana Uko, earlier abducted by militants, was released on Tuesday.
But the spokesman for the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Jomo Gbomo, in an e-mail to The Punch claimed that an affilitate group in Bonny was responsible for the attack.
Part of the mail reads, ”The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta can confirm that an affiliate group in the Bonny axis carried out the attack on an oil tanker, the MT Meredith and abducted a crewman on board.
“This recent attack should send a clear message to the oil companies that even with the four Mantra class seaward defence boats and two Augusta helicopters acquired by the Navy, the only thing that can stop attack is justice.
“MEND is in touch with the group and will ensure the abducted man is released unharmed at the earliest convenience.”
When contacted, the spokesman of the Joint Task Force in Rivers State, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, said he was yet to get the report.
He, however, promised to get back to our correspondent but did not as at press time.
Meanwhile, the Akwa Ibom State Government has dissolved the village council of Ntrukpum in Central Uruan Ward III in Uruan Local Government Area headed by Obong Effiong Bassey.
The dissolution of the council came a day after Bassey was apprehended by the state police Command in connection with the kidnap of the Romanian lady in Eket.
Governor Godswill Akpabio, who spoke with journalists in Uyo on Wednesday, said the village council was sacked as a result of Bassey‘s failure to report the activities of kidnappers to the appropriate authorities.
Akpabio said that Bassey was implicated in the abduction of the expatriate wife of a worker with Exxon Mobil, in Eket on Monday.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Patrick Ekpotu, explained that the abduction was truncated by the activities of the JTF that stormed the kidnappers‘ hideout upon receiving an intelligence report.
Akpabio said that the victim was freed in the operation that lasted for about one hour following the resistance by the deadly gang.
He alleged that the kingpin of the group, one Efiok Asuquo Ibiok, escaped with gunshot injuries.
He, however, ordered hospitals, clinics and traditional healing homes to report any patient with bullet wounds to the police, adding that failure to obey the directive would incur government’s wrath on such an establishment.
He said, “I wish to emphasise that like never before, this government shall continually deploy all means, legal and otherwise to ensure that criminals are rooted out from wherever they may be found in the state.
“It is in the light of this, I, on behalf of the government, announce the dissolution of the village council of Ntrukpum in Central Uruan Ward III of Uruan Local Government Area, headed by Obong Effiong Bassey, whose community was not only used as a base for the kidnapping operation, but has become notorious for this and other organised deadly crimes.”
Akpabio later directed the Chairman of Uruan LGA, Dr. Eventus Edem, to liaise with the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Paul Ekpo, to set up a new village council in accordance with the customary law of the area
