The whereabouts of one of the Nigerian managers in Nigerian Agip Oil Company, who was kidnapped by gunmen on Monday, remained unknown 24 hours after he was seized by his captors.
Checks by our correspondent showed that the militants, who kidnapped the Head of the company�s Human Resources Department, are yet to claim responsibility and make their demands as the usual practice in the volatile Niger Delta.
The manager, whose name was given as Ifaenyi Obidike, was blocked and taken away by gun-wielding men in military fatigue along the dreaded Iwofe-Rumuolumeni Road , as he was going to work.
It could not be established whether his abduction had anything to do with the ongoing strike by workers of the company, who embarked on industrial action last week to press for improved conditions of service and sundry welfare issues.
The workers had barricaded the company�s entrance for most part of last week, preventing visitors and contractors from doing business with the firm.
Although the Police Public Relations Officer for the Rivers State Police Command, Mrs. Ireju Barasua, told our correspondent that the command had taken steps to block all exit routes in the state in search of the manager, the efforts had not yielded positive results as at the time of filing this report.
Also, the Spokesman for the Joint Task Force and Public Relations Officer for the 2nd Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt , Major Sagir Musa, confirmed on Tuesday that no contacts had been established with the manager�s kidnapper.
Musa said however that necessary actions were being taken by the relevant agencies to locate the man and get him freed as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, an explosion from a barge was reported in Port Harcourt on Monday night, sending shock waves across the city and its environs.
The police said the incident was an accident involving a gas cylinder on a barge run by Saipem, one of the oil services companies in the state.