Militants abduct 5 oil workers in Ondo

Yinka Oladoyinbo, Akure - 31.03.2008

Youths believed to be militants in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State on Sunday abducted five oil workers in the area. The people, who were abducted in the early hours of the day, were said to be workers of Express Oil Nigeria Limited. According to the leader of the group, who spoke with newsmen in Akure on the telephone, Mr. Alaiku Akinkanjuomo, the people were abducted over unpaid claims to the communities that host the oil wells on which the oil company is operating.

The abducted workers were said to working offshore on the Awoye platform of the oil company when the youth, numbering about 100, invaded the place and forcefully took the people away.

The oil workers in the custody of the youth are Tajudeen Adebanjo, Leke Omojebaje, Tina Adeniji, Martins Ebiyeon and Mike Obas. The youth who were from the 21 communities known as the Express Shebah communities in the oil producing areas of the state, alleged that the oil company had not paid them their claims for the past four years.

According to Akinkanjuomo, the company was hiding under an injunction granted it four years ago not to pay the claims or any other thing to the communities. He, however, said the injunction did not affect only Express Oil, but also affected all other oil companies operating in the area, adding that the said injunction was vacated four months ago with the other oil companies paying their necessary claims to the communities.

The leader of the youth threatened that the abducted oil workers would not be released unless the oil company agreed to negotiate with them. However, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ondo State command, Mr. Adeniran Aremu, said the command was yet to be briefed on the incident.