Hostages: How Bayelsa lost money to con men

BAYELSA State may have lost several millions of naira to con men in its bid to secure the release of the four expatriate oil workers abducted last month by militant Ijaw youths.
Vanguard learnt that most of the con men cashed in on the setting up by government of several contact groups to help establish rapport with the militants.
Governor Goodluck Jonathan of Bayelsa lending credence to Vanguard findings told newsmen in Yenagoa, Tuesday, that the services of over 30 groups were employed to help secure the release of the hostages only to discover that most of them were fake.

The governor confirmed that a huge sum of money was spent on logistics for these groups and by the time government discovered that most of the groups were fake, it settled for only three of them.
The governor denied that a ransom was paid, saying there was no way he could have used public funds to secure the release of the oil workers. According to him, part of the funds expended on the operation was to take care of the contact groups� hotel accommodation in Yenagoa and Warri as well as the hiring of vehicles and speed boats for them.
Gov. Jonathan said though the hostages were abducted in Bayelsa their captors took them to neighbouring Delta which is not under Bayelsa government control, thereby making it difficult to set them free on time.

�If they were kept in Bayelsa State, I don�t think they would have stayed more than five days. We would have been able to persuade them to release the hostages because from the date we came into office, May 29, 1999 till this incident, about seven cases of hostages were involved and of these I released five,� he said.
He commended Ijaw leaders, Delta and Rivers governments as well as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for their efforts in securing the release of the hostages.

EU thanks FG

Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) has expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for its effort in securing the release of the kidnapped expatriate oil workers. The appreciation was conveyed by the Austrian Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Christian Fellner, when he paid a courtesy visit on the
Foreign Affairs Minister, Amb. Oluyemi Adeniji yesterday in Abuja.
�This indeed is a green light for us Europeans to work together with you so that peace and security can reign in the region,� he said.

Fellner also requested for regular dialogue between the EU and the African Union, adding that the dialogue would to boost cooperation and progress between the two unions.
Responding, Adeniji said the present administration was poised to let peace and security reign in the country for the progress of both Nigerians and their friends.
He also said the trouble in the Niger Delta region would soon be amicably solved. Adeniji also expressed appreciation for the contributions of the EU to peace and development of the African continent.

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