Militants in the Niger Delta region of the country have said that they would be holding on to three foreign hostages “because of security concerns,” even as they claimed to have released 19 Nigerian hostages in their custody.
In a statement sent on Sunday by Jomo Gbomo for the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the group said it freed 19 Nigerian hostages in its care and had kept three remaining foreign hostages until their safe release could be guaranteed.
“At about 1055 hours on Sunday, October 5, 2008, the Nigerian hostages rescued from pirates by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta have been released in Rivers State.
“Due to the location where the expatriates were kept for their safety, they cannot be released at this time because of security concerns,” MEND said.
The three foreign hostages, two Britons and a Ukrainian, were abducted along with the two South Africans, who had been released earlier, from an oil supply vessel, H.D. Blue Ocean, after it was hijacked.