The Nation Newspaper

Tag: expatriates

  • Expatriates flee Kogi over kidnap

    As  kidnapping of expatriate workers seems to be on the rise in Kogi State, there are indications that many of them,mainly  Chinese , have been fleeing the state in droves.

    Most of the road construction contracts in the state are being handled by the Chinese,who are now jolted by the  focus on them by kidnappers.

    No fewer than five foreigners  are still languishing in abductor’s den in the state.

    Only a fortnight ago,security men  freed an American missionary, the Reverend  Phillis Sotor from her abductors.

    The Kogi Police Command has however assured the foreign workers of their safety, saying kidnapping is foreign to the state.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Sola Collins Adebayo  said the Command has put in place measures to curtail kidnapping and other forms of criminality in the state.

    Adebayo, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) said:“There is no need to run from Kogi. Kidnapping, especially of expatriates ,before now was  alien to the state. All investigative and operational apparatus have been put in place  by the Commissioner of Police to ensure a lasting solution to  this new act of criminality in the state.

    “The Police Command is not only working towards apprehending these criminals, but highly interested in putting a stop to the act of kidnapping in the state. All expatriates within the state are assured of higher security beef-up around them, considering the trend of event, hence no need for alarm”.

    The Kilometre 8 crusher site of CGC Construction firm is now  a ghost town as only a handful of  Chinese are seen around.

    The situation is not different  at the CGC office in the Government Reservation Area (GRA) and the  Kogi Hotels reconstruction site where the gates are  firmly shut against outsiders.

    Some workers who spoke on the condition of anonymity attributed the exodus to the upsurge in cases of kidnapping foreigners in the state i.

    “Dem nor gree come again, oga,”  a source said in pidgin English.

    Similarly, the cement factory site under construction at Allo, Itobe in Ofu LG, a joint partnership between the Chinese and the Kogi State government is  a shadow of itself as the Chinese workers are hardly seen.

    A senior government official who preferred anonymity admitted the exodus. He however claimed that the movement was deliberate saying they will return after the general elections.

  • Whereabouts of kidnapped expatriates unknown

    Men of the Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, are combing the creeks to locate the whereabouts of three expatriates kidnapped in Bayelsa State.

    The expatriates were abducted by unidentified gunmen at Amakalaka, Ogbia Local Government Area, of the state.

    The victims identified as two Pakastanis and an Indian were reportedly whisked away on Wednesday by the hoodlums.

    It was gathered that they are employees of Elmerit Construction Company.

    A security source identified them as Muntaz Ahmed, Ghatar Abdul, both Pakistanis and Sriribas Rao, an Indian.

    The source who pleaded anonymity said their whereabouts were still unknown adding that the hoodlums had yet to contact the company.

    Sources said their assailants grabbed and pulled them into a waiting boat and sped away into the surrounding creeks.

    No group had claimed responsibility for the abduction.

    Spokesman of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta code-named ‘Operation Pulo Shield’, Colonel Mustapha Anka, confirmed the incident.

    He said the task force and other security agencies were combing the area with a view to rescuing the victims and arresting the hoodlums.

     

     

  • Aper Aku stadium: Expatriates commences work on the final stage of the playing pitch

    Expatriates who specialise in coconut fibre are currently working on the Playing pitch of Aper Aku stadium, the home of Lobi stars in Makurdi.

    When Sportinglife visited the stadium , workers were seen laying the shock absolving system, preparatory for sand, then, coconut fibre and cock before the grassing.

    Shock absorbing system on a football pitch enhance the performance of players and keep it cooler. It’s also gives comfortability players and reduce injury. However, Sportinglife observed that the stadium contract had no provision for springer which control ball behavior.

    MR. Ebi Egbe, the contractor handling the upgrading of the Aper Aku told sporting life that ,his firm would use the period of the completion of the stadium to and the state government to installed springers in the stadium .

    Chairman of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria ( SWAN) Comrade Uja Emmanuel advised the Benue state government as a matter of policy to extend the contract to covering maintenance and installation new running track for a period of 10 years to for proper monitoring .

    Comrade Uja stated that from experience , government spent billions on projects but lack of maintenance led to decay of same projects .

    The SWAN chairman advised Governor Gabriel Suswam to used the National Stadium Sulurere, Lagos, as an example ,which was one of the best ,but now in decay for lack of proper maintenance and extend the contact for the upgrading of Aper Aku to cover maintenance.

    Governor Gabriel Suswam said he would give soccer loving people of Benue state a new stadium as a parting gift of his administration .

  • Four expatriates still missing

    Security agents are still searching for the four Thais kidnapped on August 9, on their way to work at the Rivers State Government-owned, Israeli-run Mega Fish Farm in Buguma, Asari-Toru Local Government Area.

    The representative of Akuku-Toru/Asari-Toru constituency in the House of Representatives, Dawari George, called for the victims’ release.

    Police spokesperson Mrs. Angela Agabe said the victims will be released unhurt.

    Mrs. Agabe said the police were closing in on the kidnappers.

    The lawmaker pleaded with the kidnappers to release them unhurt.

    Two Nigerians and four Thais were kidnapped in Buguma. One of the Nigerians jumped into the river and drowned.

    The gunmen forced the other Nigerian out of the boat and sped off with the expatriates. He was, however, able to swim to safety.

    The Buguma fish farm, according to the operators, is one of the biggest fish farms in the country and being managed by an Israeli company, Omida Farms.

    The Commissioner for Agriculture, Emmanuel Chinda, said: “The abduction is as a result of the insecurity, which has pervaded the state recently.

    “The hoodlums feel emboldened to do this because they believe the police are now their friends. Buguma had been calm before now; you can see that the situation is gradually degenerating into something sad.”

     

  • 23 expatriates released in Rivers

    The 23 Greeks arrested by naval officers for illegal bunkering on November 13 have been released with their vessel, MT Aegean Horizon.

    It was learnt yesterday that the expatriates were not guilty. This prompted the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, to order their release.

    The Greeks were arrested at Ibot terminal, Akwa Ibom State, with their vessel, loaded with 900,000 barrels of crude oil, during the Navy’s fleet evaluation operation, titled: “Exercise Farauata.”

    The Commanding Officer, Forward Operating Base (FOB), Bonny, Capt Chukwuma Okafor, said the vessel and the 23 crew members were arrested because they gave unsatisfactory answers on their documents.

    Okafor noted that after thorough investigation by Naval authorities, it was discovered that the vessel obtained relevant documents from duly-authorised Nigerian authorities.

    The commanding officer then lauded the suspects for their cooperation during the investigation.

    The captain of the vessel, Kanellopoulos Ilias and 22 others were elated on their release.

    The representative of the vessel, Gregori Esiri of Bluesea Maritime, was grateful to the Navy, for speeding up the investigations and ensuring their release.

     

  • Navy arrests 15 expatriates in Rivers

    The Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Commodore Oyetunji Fadeyi, at the weekend handed over 15 expatriates and a vessel to the police in Port Harcourt and Bonny Island for loitering on Nigeria’s waterways.

    The suspects include nine Filipinos and six Romanians. They were arrested aboard a vessel, MT ST Vanessa, on June 19, 2012, by operatives of NNS Zaria, at 45 nautical miles off Akassa in Bayelsa State.

    Fadeyi said prior to the arrest, attempts by officials of the NNS Zaria to interrogate persons aboard the vessel were resisted.

    The vessel is a motor tanker registered in Belgium and belonging to Sea Tankers Shipping (SAS) of Parc Innolin-7 Rue Du Golf 33 700 Merinac, France.

    He said: “In a bid to enforce arrest, men of NNS, Zaria, had to employ the use of force on MT ST Vanessa. Many shots were fired across the bow of the vessel to stop it from escaping.

    “MT ST Vanessa was eventually arrested and handed over to the Forward Operating Base (FOB), Bonny, for investigation into the vessel’s suspicious activities around Akassa area, which is within Nigeria’s exclusive economic zone.

    “Investigations revealed that the last port of call of the vessel was Lome, Togo, and since its arrival on Nigerian waters, the vessel was observed to be loitering around Akassa-Brass for about two weeks, without clear and specific mission before its arrest.

    “The captain of the vessel claimed that he was directed by the owner to stay around Akassa and await further directives. Akassa is notorious for crude oil theft and other economic sabotage.

    “MT ST Vanessa’s crew stated during investigation that they chose to alter course and steer seaward because they thought the vessel was under attack by pirates. The excuse is not tenable.”

    It was learnt that there have been pressure on the Navy from prominent persons for the vessel’s release.