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Well armed Niger Delta militants have kidnapped three Dutch
nationals, two males and a female at Letugbene, a boundary
community between Delta and Bayelsa State. Two Nigerians
accompanying the Dutch nationals are said to be missing.
According to sources, the incident took place Sunday at about 4:
30pm, after the Dutch nationals left the palace of the traditional ruler
of Iduwuni Kingdom,King Joel Ibane (Ogiobo IX) as part of their visit to
the Dodo River communities where they had visited for a fact-finding
mission around a local hospital in Amutu II when they were seized.
The sources stated further that the foreigners were in the community
to see the local hospital which served over 16 communities along the
Dodo River and figure out how they could assist the villagers in the
area with health care.
It was learned that the armed militants who came in a Passport 19
spead boat with AK-47 rifles started shooting sporadically, and the
villagers who came to the jetty to see off the foreigners started
scampering into safety while several persons in the same boat with the
foreigners jumped into the river leaving the foreigners at the mercy of
the militants.
Another account stated that among those that jumped into the river; a
man could not be found as the militants carted away laptops, ipads,
mobile phones, cameras among other item as they sped off with the
Dutch nationals into the creeks.
A Nigerian journalist who was with the foreigners on the trip told our
correspondent that the incident that took place very quickly leaving
him and others dumbfounded.
“I was on the boat with the three Dutch nationals and two Nigerians
where the gunmen rounded us at Letugbene community and ordered
everybody to lie face down in the boat. They collected all our
belongings including handsets, cameras, IPads among others. I heard
them say take the white men away. I do not know if the other
Nigerians were equally seized because, at the time, they left we could
not find the two Nigerians. Some persons in the second boat which
including community leaders from Dodo River jumped into the river
following the heavy shooting. We learnt some of them are missing
including the Netherlands based-Nigerians who came with the
foreigners”.
The foreigners, our correspondent gathered had on Saturday alongside
a team led by Amsterdam based Nigerian activist, Comrade Sunny
Ofehe of Hope for Niger Delta Campaign, HNDC held a press briefing
with the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Warri Correspondent
Chapel of their mission to the communities.
During a press briefing, the team said they were in the Niger Delta
following the invitation by the leadership of Dodo River federated
community led by Mr. Berry Negerese, who was said to have facilitated
their trip to see how they have helped the local hospital which they
said was built through a Global Memorandum of Understanding
(GMoU) initiatives.
Well armed Niger Delta militants have kidnapped three Dutch
nationals, two males and a female at Letugbene, a boundary
community between Delta and Bayelsa State. Two Nigerians
accompanying the Dutch nationals are said to be missing.
According to sources, the incident took place Sunday at about 4:
30pm, after the Dutch nationals left the palace of the traditional ruler
of Iduwuni Kingdom,King Joel Ibane (Ogiobo IX) as part of their visit to
the Dodo River communities where they had visited for a fact-finding
mission around a local hospital in Amutu II when they were seized.
The sources stated further that the foreigners were in the community
to see the local hospital which served over 16 communities along the
Dodo River and figure out how they could assist the villagers in the
area with health care.
It was learned that the armed militants who came in a Passport 19
spead boat with AK-47 rifles started shooting sporadically, and the
villagers who came to the jetty to see off the foreigners started
scampering into safety while several persons in the same boat with the
foreigners jumped into the river leaving the foreigners at the mercy of
the militants.
Another account stated that among those that jumped into the river; a
man could not be found as the militants carted away laptops, ipads,
mobile phones, cameras among other item as they sped off with the
Dutch nationals into the creeks.
A Nigerian journalist who was with the foreigners on the trip told our
correspondent that the incident that took place very quickly leaving
him and others dumbfounded.
“I was on the boat with the three Dutch nationals and two Nigerians
where the gunmen rounded us at Letugbene community and ordered
everybody to lie face down in the boat. They collected all our
belongings including handsets, cameras, IPads among others. I heard
them say take the white men away. I do not know if the other
Nigerians were equally seized because, at the time, they left we could
not find the two Nigerians. Some persons in the second boat which
including community leaders from Dodo River jumped into the river
following the heavy shooting. We learnt some of them are missing
including the Netherlands based-Nigerians who came with the
foreigners”.
The foreigners, our correspondent gathered had on Saturday alongside
a team led by Amsterdam based Nigerian activist, Comrade Sunny
Ofehe of Hope for Niger Delta Campaign, HNDC held a press briefing
with the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Warri Correspondent
Chapel of their mission to the communities.
During a press briefing, the team said they were in the Niger Delta
following the invitation by the leadership of Dodo River federated
community led by Mr. Berry Negerese, who was said to have facilitated
their trip to see how they have helped the local hospital which they
said was built through a Global Memorandum of Understanding
(GMoU) initiatives.
