THE Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which has held three Italians and one Lebanese oil worker hostage for a month, threatened yesterday to resume attacks on oil facilities this month and seize more captives.
�We are resuming our attacks this month and may even take more hostages,� a spokesman for the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said in an e-mail message.
Responding to a question on the fate of the four hostages the group kidnapped since December 7, last year, from Bayelsa State, the MEND spokesman declined to discuss them and insisted that its political demands must be met.
This came against the background of a report that China had launched an emergency mechanism to rescue its five kidnapped workers in Nigeria.
�We are not interested in talking about these people (hostages). If it takes us one year to get what we want, we will keep them and others,� MEND said.
Three Italians � Roberto Dieghi, Cosma Russo and Francesco Arena � and Lebanese Imad Saliba were captured when MEND attacked an oil installation owned by the Italian oil firm Agip in Brass, Bayelsa State.
MEND is demanding the release of former Bayelsa State governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, detained on corruption charges, as well as Mujahid Dokubo-Asari and other detainees from the region.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce says Beijing has launched an emergency mechanism to rescue the five Chinese telecommunications workers seized by militants in Rivers State on Friday.
The Chinese technical workers in a rural telecom programme were kidnapped by unidentified armed men as Emuoha, Rivers State and equipment worth thousands of US dollars also taken.
The ministry urged the Trade Department of the Chinese embassy in Nigeria to make all efforts to rescue the workers and ensure their safety. The spokesman said the company would send responsible people to Nigeria today to handle the matter.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao ordered the foreign ministry and China�s embassy and consulate to do everything possible to rescue the kidnapped telecommunication workers.
No one has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping as the Nigerian government also vowed to do everything it could to rescue the hostages as soon as possible.
There have been more than 10 kidnappings of foreign workers in Rivers State since the beginning of
2006 and this is the first time that Chinese workers were kidnapped.
A Chinese rescue group arrived the Rivers State capital, Port Harcourt, on Saturday to help in securing the release of the workers. �The group is to liaise with the Nigerian government and police on the release of the kidnapped Chinese,�� said Wang Lei.