Peace moves in the Niger Delta suffered another setback as armed militants struck in the early hours of yesterday , kidnapping Margaret, wife of Chief Humphrey Idisi, Managing Director and Chief Executive of an indigenous drilling company, Lonestar Drilling from their Elimgbu home in Port Harcourt, Rivers State .
The latest offensive came barely 12 hours after President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua pleaded with militants to drop their arms and give his administration chance to implement his programme for the development of the Niger Delta.
Lonestar which recently announced the delivery of its oil rigs to beef up its operations in the Niger Delta had been the subject of attacks with its expatriate staff being kidnapped by hoodlums before the recent attack on the Chief Executive’s wife.
THISDAY gathered that the armed bandits stormed the area at about 2.30 am and started shooting sporadically with automatic weapons apparently to scare away people.
It was reliably gathered that when the residents organized themselves and challenged the armed men numbering about 20, the gunmen resorted to the use of explosives, thus overpowered the reidents before taking the woman away. Some of the residents were said to have contacted the Joint Military Task Force in the State at about 3.00am but the hoodlums had successfully gained entry and took the woman away before JTF’s arrival.
A staff of the company told THISDAY that “They came for war as you can see how scattered and extent of destruction they visited on this place. It was war and they succeeded in taking away Madam.”
Spokesman of the JTF in the State, Lt. Colonel Sagir Musa who confirmed the incident said their control room got the distress call at about 3.00am and got to the house between 3.15am and 3.20am by which time the attackers had escaped with the woman.
“The attack started 2.30am and we were called at 3.00am. We were there between 3.15 and 3.20am and the attackers were lucky to have escaped. ” We realized that the neighbours reacted with the aim of surprising the attackers on the Lonestar Manager’s house but unfortunately they were overpowered and dispersed. Let me use this opportunity to commend the efforts of the neighbours who not only called us but tried in their own little way to stop the militants. ” If people react that way, they can obstruct the attackers and even assist the delay of their escape pending our arrival. They really tried and others should behave that way so that we can collectively drive this menace out of the society,” he said.
Similar attack was carried out on the home of Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs the Chief Executive of MoniPulo, another indigenous oil prospecting company where the wife, Mrs. Seinye was kidnapped. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and no ransom has been demanded.
Apr212008