Ernest Sumelong
9 January 2009
Some Cameroonians who were recently kidnapped alongside Ghanaians, Nigerians and Indonesians on board a ship owned by French company-Bourbon- have been released.
The French ship was released Wednesday, January 7, as anti-pirate troops began patrolling the Nigerian coast where the ship was captured.The pirates, said to be militants of the Niger Delta Region, had, over the weekend, seized the ship and took some nine Cameroonians, Nigerians, Ghanaians and Indonesians hostage.
It is, however, unclear whether the pirates were paid any ransom for the release of the ship, even though it was reported that the French company was making some effort in that regard. According to BBC report, the Bourbon boat had left Bonny Island in the Niger Delta and was off the coast of Akwa-Ibom State when it was attacked.
Piracy is now a common feature in Nigerian waters, often linked to Niger Delta militants targeting oil companies. Militants also attack vessels and strip them of valuables, taking hostages for ransom.
Last year, the militants also attacked another vessel taking Cameroonians and French nationals hostage till their release was secured by the government of Cameroon.
Presently, The Post learnt, the rebels are still keeping two British hostages taken from another oil service vessel in September, 2008.
The militants have been quoted as saying that they are fighting for a bigger share of the country's oil wealth, but the government argues that many attacks are carried out by criminal gangs seeking to extort money from oil companies.
It is reported that Nigeria's oil production has dropped by around a fifth since 2006, partly as a result of the violence.Pirate activities off the coast of Nigeria and the Bakassi Peninsular have only added to the heightened insecurity level of the area.In 2008, pirates attacked 111 ships off Somalia, hijacking 42 of them, and receiving tens of millions of dollars in ransoms.
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