Female oil worker escapes from kidnappers’ den

Bolaji ogundele, Port Harcourt - 29.02.2008

Mrs. Oluwatoyin Nkwo, the Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited (EPNL) Senior who was abducted last Monday was freed on Wednesday night just as another ship was robbed by suspected pirates in the Bonny waterways.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that Mrs Nkwo, whose husband is also Manager, Training Services with EPNL, actually escaped from captivity with the aid of State Security Service (SSS) agents who had been on her trail since she was abducted.

According to a security source who confirmed her escape story, men of the SSS were able to locate where she was being held and found that she was being watched over by one armed guard.

They distracted him until he had to leave the hostage alone and go outside to survey. This paved the way for her to escape.

The source said she ran into the bush before the armed guard could return and found her way to the Bori police station. She was said to have been kept in one of the communities in Khana Local Government Area of the state.

“When we discovered that the hostage was left with an armed guard, our men started distracting him. The guard tied the woman up and then went out on a surveillance of the neighbourhood.

“With the guard away, the woman quickly took a tablet of soap that was lying near, put it in water and made some lather. She applied the lather to her ankles, where she was tied and pulled her slippery legs out of the chain,” the source said.