AN expatriate abducted by militants in the Niger Delta has died moments after community leaders secured his release in Bayelsa State, weekend.
The oil worker whose nationality and employers could not be immediately ascertained was said to have been kidnapped in Rivers State and taken to one of the militants’ numerous camps in Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa State. He was simply identified as John.
Vanguard gathered that he was hypertensive and once he was captured, his blood pressure got out of control. His condition was compounded by his lack of access to doctor or drugs.
“He was abducted by militants. They demanded a ransom but no ransom was paid and a group of community leaders went to release him. He died before he could be taken to hospital for treatment,” Major Omale Ochaguba of the Joint Task Force said.
Five of the man’s abductors had also been arrested at the weekend, he added. He corpse has already been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ibokette Iniobong, also confirmed the death of the expatriate but explained that he was not kidnapped in Bayelsa State.
He said it was one of the incidents that happened in a neighbouring state, and that his remains had been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre.
The PPRO said the police were still trying to get to the roots of the matter, and asked this reporter to call him back for further details.
A source from the FMC also confirmed the incident but could not give further details on the identity of the expatriate.
Politically-motivated kidnappings have become less frequent since President Umaru Yar’Adua took office in late May. But kidnapping for ransom has continued unabated, with some criminal gangs no longer hesitating to kidnap even small children, which until very recently was unknown.
Around 200 foreigners, most of them oil workers, have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta since the start of 2006. Most have been released after a few days or a few weeks.
VANGUARD