Families of two foreign nationals, George Scerri, a Maltese and Mohammed Asif, a Pakistani, working for the Lone Star Drilling Company, a service contractor to the Nigeria Agip Oil company kidnapped by suspected militants in Rivers State have cried out to the Rivers State Governor, Chief Rotimi Amaechi to step in and ensure the release of the hostages by their abductors, who are demanding N1 billion ransom from the two families.
They were reportedly taken hostage by unknown gunmen who waylaid them between the camp site of their company and their work site, where they have been engaged in operations for the Italian oil giant.
The driver said the they were led to a waiting bus by the gunmen who later transferred the foreigners into a waiting speed boat, which ferried them to an unknown destination in the creek.
But while addressing the press yesterday in Warri, Mrs. Phina Scerri, said she had established contact with the kidnappers but did not know the exact location where they were being held.
According to her, their captors had demanded a whopping sum of N 1 billion before they could breathe the air of freedom.
Scerri in a voice laced with emotion, said her husband was indisposed when he was taken into captivity.
She said that she had written to some foreign commissions and that she needed both the federal and Rivers State to urgently wade into the matter to save the two families of the trauma they were presently undergoing.
“He was not really feeling fine prior to the kidnapping. Government should look at the issue and do something about it.
Two foreign nationals are somewhere and nobody is doing anything about it. The company should not be left to seek for their release alone, she said in an emotion laden voice, adding “Please do not let these men die in the hands of their abductors.
She added that the children were greatly missing their father, adding that the incident has thrown the family into confusion.
Scerri pointed out that security agencies have been alerted about the incident, urging them to step up efforts to free the two men from their captors.