MEND Confirms Location Of Kidnapped French Nationals

Okafor ofiebor/Port Harcourt

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said they  have located  the  three abducted French nationals whose names could not be confirmed as at press time.

They were abducted from a vessel working on Addax offshore field and another individual  was also kidnapped in a separate incident on the same night.

In an online statement by Jomo Gbomo, MEND spokesman, the group said: “ We are in  negotiations with the abductors towards affecting a transfer of the men to the custody of  MEND. When this is done, we will be in a better position to give further information  about their state of health and the duration of their stay with us.”

The three men were yesterday. The armed men used many speed boats for the operation.

The kidnappers shot sporadically into the air for some minutes in order to scare people  in the neighbourhood, before abducting their targets and disappearing into the creeks.

Besides the claim by Jomo Gbomo that MEND has located where the oil workers are, no  contact had been established between the kidnappers and the employers of the French men.

The latest kidnap has raised security concerns  in oil the industry  coming at a time of  amnesty programme.

The Spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF), Lt. Col. Timothy Antigha, said: “I can  confirm to you that there was an armed attack on a foreign vessel, off the coast of  Bonny,Rivers State.”