OIL WORKER HOSTAGE UPDATE SITREP #20

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 000125

SIPDIS

STATE PASS DOE FOR DAS JBRODMAN AND CGAY
TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS AND SRENENDER
COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS
STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION FOR MARAD
STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ
STATE FOR DS/IP/AF, AF/EX, DS/IP/OPO, DS/ICI/PII, DS/DSS/ITA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/28/2016
TAGS: EPET PGOV ASEC PTER KHLS PINR ETRD CASC NI
SUBJECT: OIL WORKER HOSTAGE UPDATE SITREP #20

REF: LAGOS 124 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Consul General Brian L. Browne for Reasons 1.4 (D & E)


1. (C) The hoped-for release of the four oil service company
employees did not take place last night. Commenting on this
latest in a series of miscues, Bayelsa Secretary of the State
Government (SSG) Dr. Igali said the release was postponed
because the kidnappers disagreed over to whom to release the
hostages. Apparently, there was disagreement among the
captors whether to release to Bayelsa State or Federal
government officials, or to forego government entirely and
release the hostages to well-known civil society figures.
SSG said the terms of the release, which thus far have only
been verbally agreed, include amnesty for the kidnappers,
amnesty for FNDIC leader Government Ekpemukpolo, and a very
vague promise of greater political accommodation for the
Ijaws. Conoff elicited a promise from the SSG to request the
kidnappers provide a more current proof of life as the last
evidence is now more than one week old. (Comment: The
request for amnesty for Government Ekpemukpolo dovetails with
our impression that FNDIC or key FNDIC members have been
intimately involved with the kidnapping. End comment.)


2. (C) Although the Bayelsa State hostage negotiating team
seems to have established solid contact with the kidnappers,
numerous release deadlines have come and gone, all based on
some fairly thin excuses. While these considerations could
be genuine concerns of confused kidnappers, this temporizing
might have a more willful, purposeful quality. While
ultimately intending to release their captives, the
kidnappers may think their purposes, which may include
international attention to their political aims, keeping the
GON passive and off-balance, and embarrassing the GON, are
best served by expressing a willingness to immediately
release the hostages yet retaining custody of the quartet a
bit longer. For planning purposes, we have to assume this
situation will not end today. Consequently, we met with
counterparts from the British Deputy High Commission to begin
formulating a plan of action for the next one to two weeks.
Ambassador Campbell plans to come to Lagos to lead further
discussions and to finalize the action plan early next week.
BROWNE