The Foreign Office was last night checking reports that one of four Scottish oil workers kidnapped in Nigeria more than two weeks ago has died.
The family of Paul Smith, 30, from Peterhead, was not commenting on the unconfirmed reports the father of two had died. Some reports said the hostage had fallen victim to natural causes or malaria while others said he had been shot.
Mr Smith, Graham Mclean, 43, from Elgin, father-of-three Sandy Cruden, from Inverurie, and Graeme Buchan, also from the north-east, were taken at gunpoint from Nancy’s Bar inside the Exxon Mobil contractors’ compound in Eket in Akwa Ibom state, south of Port Harcourt.
Two Nigerian security guards were killed when around 18 armed youths stormed the Eseakpan and seized the four Scots, one Romanian, one Malaysian and one Indonesian.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, the rebel group responsible for a number of kidnappings and attacks on oil facilities this year, has denied any involvement in the raid.
A �21m ransom is said to have been to have been demanded by the previously unknown Niger Delta Frontier Force.
Mr Smith, a crane maintainer with Sparrows, trained with his father’s firm before it went out of business, then took a contract in Nigeria where workers are paid high rewards.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said they were aware of the rumours of the death of one of the men.
“It may be some time before we are able to confirm the rumours one way or another. We are greatly concerned by them and are obviously in close touch with the Nigerian authorities, the men’s families, their employers NEWS – IN THIS SECTION PREV / NEXT ITEM
Fears that kidnapped oil worker has died in Nigeria
GRAEME SMITH October 21 2006
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The Foreign Office was last night checking reports that one of four Scottish oil workers kidnapped in Nigeria more than two weeks ago has died.
The family of Paul Smith, 30, from Peterhead, was not commenting on the unconfirmed reports the father of two had died. Some reports said the hostage had fallen victim to natural causes or malaria while others said he had been shot.
Mr Smith, Graham Mclean, 43, from Elgin, father-of-three Sandy Cruden, from Inverurie, and Graeme Buchan, also from the north-east, were taken at gunpoint from Nancy’s Bar inside the Exxon Mobil contractors’ compound in Eket in Akwa Ibom state, south of Port Harcourt.
Two Nigerian security guards were killed when around 18 armed youths stormed the Eseakpan and seized the four Scots, one Romanian, one Malaysian and one Indonesian.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, the rebel group responsible for a number of kidnappings and attacks on oil facilities this year, has denied any involvement in the raid.
A �21m ransom is said to have been to have been demanded by the previously unknown Niger Delta Frontier Force.
Mr Smith, a crane maintainer with Sparrows, trained with his father’s firm before it went out of business, then took a contract in Nigeria where workers are paid high rewards.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said they were aware of the rumours of the death of one of the men.
“It may be some time before we are able to confirm the rumours one way or another. We are greatly concerned by them and are obviously in close touch with the Nigerian authorities, the men’s families, their employers and everything that can be done is being done to try to secure their safe release.
“Full consular support is being provided to the men’s families and our thoughts are with them at this particularly difficult time.”
A spokesman for Aberdeen-based Sparrows, said he was unable to confirm the reports of the death of one of the hostages. It is an unconfirmed report, nothing more,” he said.
“Naturally, we are very concerned about the reports and are staying in very close touch with the Nigerian authorities and the men’s families and are continuing to work towards the safe release of the men.”