The security situation in southern Nigeria's Delta State has
further deteriorated as a foreigner was abducted in Warri, a city
in the state.
The foreigner, identified as Kajik, was kidnapped at NPA,
DeltaPort, Warri, around noon on Thursday, a source said. Kajik
works for Ocean Sand Dredging Nigeria Limited.
Port Harcourt, capital city of the Rivers State, also saw chaos
on Thursday as militants seized the city for more than two hours,
according to police in the state on Friday.
The militants started shooting sporadically from Elechie Beach,
one of the slums in the city where illicit activities thrive
openly, and moved toward Njamanze Waterside and Abonnema Wharf.
Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, Felix Ogbaudu,
confirmed the event.
Some of the militants later rode in a mini-bus shooting
indiscriminately as they headed toward Education Bus Stop, where
most of the print media houses in the country have their
offices.
Before soldiers and riot policemen were deployed in the streets,
a commercial bus driver had been killed. Scores of people were also
wounded by the gun-wielding militants, and most of those injured
were passers-by.
The militants opened fire on a passenger bus in front of the
state Newspaper Corporation and killed the driver who had just
dropped off some passengers, according to a report by the Guardian
on Friday.
As the shooting continued in the area, soldiers and policemen
were immediately deployed in groups to face them in battle. The law
enforcement agents also blocked some routes in the area before the
gunmen immediately withdrew into the slums and the shootings
stopped.
Meanwhile, the US State Department confirmed on Friday that
three US citizens have been kidnapped in Nigeria.
"Our consulate general in Lagos reports that three American
citizens were kidnapped in Bayelsa state," State Department press
officer Gonzo Gallegos said.
The authorities are notifying the families of the kidnapped
citizens and are closely monitoring the situation, Gallegos
said.
According to media reports, three Americans, two Britons and one
South African have been kidnapped in Nigeria's oil-rich yet restive
Niger Delta area.
Since the beginning of this month, about 40 foreigners have been
abducted in southeastern Nigeria.
(Xinhua News Agency May 26, 2007)
