Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff
Peter Kelvin – Warri
Four Chinese nationals abducted in December last year along the waterways off Owendo port in Libreville, Gabon’s capital city has been released.
It was gathered that the expatriates were rescued by operatives of the Joint Task Force code named Operation Delta Safe (ODS) last week along the Nigerian high seas of Delta and Ondo states.
The Dune newspaper could not ascertain the organisation the abducted foreign nationals were working for at the time they were kidnapped.
Our security source said the expatriates were abducted while working at an oil rig in the outskirt of Libreville, but another source claimed that they were employees of two fishing vessels belonging to Sigapeche, a Sino Gabonese company.
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They were however rescued on the Nigerian waterways following shared intelligence between Nigeria’s Operation Delta Safe and Chinese and Gabonese government.
“Their captors ferried them into the Nigerian waterways where they were rescued following intelligence reports from Chinese and Gabonese government.”
“The victims had been released to their various country’s embassy in Nigeria. They were working at the country’s (Gabonese) rivers when pirates from Gabon abducted them.”
“They have been handed over to their country’s embassies in Nigeria. The Chinese nationals have returned to their country”, a top security source said.
The Chinese Consul-General in Nigeria, Chu Maoming confirmed the release of the victims in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.
The Consulate in a statement on its website said “the consulate general in Lagos cooperated with the relevant agencies to carry out rescue efforts and the hostages were released safely.”
“Maoming visited the freed sailors before they returned to their country.”
It was not clear if the Nigerian military arrested any of the captors during the rescue operation comprising operatives of the Nigerian military, Department of State Service and Police.
Our correspondent learnt that the four Chinese hostages returned to their country on Sunday after they were presented to their country’s representatives in Nigeria.
When contacted for comments, the spokesman of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta region, Major Jonah Unuakhalu, whose men rescued the victims said, “can you call me later please, I am on the highway”
Major Unuakhalu’s. At the time of filing this report, has not called back or responded to the calls.
Recall that the Nigerian Navy (NN), Central Naval Command (CNC) had last week rescued two Russians and an Indian who were abducted off the Ramos River entrance, bordering Delta and Bayelsa states, on January 2nd.
