More Hostages Taken in the Niger Delta
Last Friday, at least seven oil workers were kidnapped in oil rich Southern Nigeria. The hostages were laying pipelines of the Bayelsa State coast, part of the Niger Delta region, when they were attacked. Kidnappings are common in the Niger Delta; although it produces much of Nigeria’s oil wealth, the Delta population remain the most impoverished in the region.
Given the endemic corruption in Nigerian politics - transparency international consistently rates Nigeria among the most corrupt governments in the world - , it’s no surprise that the citizens of the Niger Delta have formed militant groups - the most prominent: Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) - as opposed to working within the government system.
Reference: Hostages taken in the Niger Delta
This entry was contributed by Tony Cella.
May 27th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
So they kidnapped them to make a statement against the government? If that is the case that means they are not going to harm who they took–they are just keeping them from working?