AGIP KIDNAPPED CAPTAIN AND ENGINEER REGAIN FREEDOM

By Akpabio Aniema

The kidnapped captain and engineer of the tugboat belonging to Agip Nigeria Oil Company have been released. It was gathered that they were set free by their captors on Thursday, after been abandoned at a Community in Nembe LGA, of Bayelsa State

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According to a source who, Mr Kenneth Oga (not real names), ‘‘We don’t know how much ransom was paid before their release, but we believe that the multinational oil company must have paid something before the victims were released,’’ he said.

“The development came after a few days after the captors were said to have contacted the oil company and demanded for a ransom of N5m before the victims can be set free. It was earlier reported that the tugboat sailed from Port Harcourt, Rivers State to Brass to load petroleum products at the firm’s terminal and was attacked by hoodlums on 26th January 2014 at Peter’s Town, Nembe, Bayelsa State and the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta had claimed responsibility for the kidnap.”

It was also learnt that the Nigerian pirates that hijacked a Liberian flagged vessel, MT KERALA allegedly siphoned 600, 000 tonnes of Automated Gas Oil from the ship.