OIL WORKER HOSTAGE UPDATE SITREP #14

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000090

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: 09/23/2015
TAGS: EPET PGOV ASEC PTER KHLS PINR ETRD CASC NI
SUBJECT: OIL WORKER HOSTAGE UPDATE SITREP #14

REF: A. LAGOS 84 AND PREVIOUS


B. ABUJA 120

Classified By: Acting Consul General William Howe for Reasons 1.4 (D &
E)

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Conflicting Reports Regarding Imminent Hostage Release
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1. (C) Econoff reports Bayelsa State officials continue to
portray the hostages' release as imminent, and tell him the
hostages may be released between about 11 p.m. and 3 a.m.
tonight. He reports officials in Yenagoa are upbeat and
confident regarding their information sources. The usual
representatives of the Movement for the Survival of the Niger
Delta (MSND),as well as a handful of previously unknown
youths, appeared at the Bayelsa Government house at 22:00 on
January 23. They requested a jeep and two plainclothes
policemen to accompany them back to their camp for the
release of the hostages. (Comment: While the Bayelsa State
Secretary to the Governor (SSG) was the initial source for

SIPDIS
the information, an MSND leader confirmed it independently.
Mission considers predictions of a 24-48 hour release stale.
End Comment.) Additionally, Bayelsa State officials point to
new information sources: Rubebe Bello, a youth leader in the
Nkerekoko area, and Ikoro Bello, a leader for militant group
FNDIC. Bayelsa State SSG said Nkerekoko area leaders had
expelled the kidnappers from their community to the Sagbama
area. (Note: Nkerekoko, alternately spelled Okerenghigho
and Okerenkoko, is a headquarters for militant group FNDIC.
Shell officials tell us they consider Sagbama a "red zone
area," "a hornet's nest," and a "well-known zone for militia
activity." End Note.)


2. (C) E-mails reportedly sent by the kidnappers to the
Reuters and Bloomberg news agencies foreclose the possibility
of the hostages imminent release, and further threaten the
security of area oil installations. Reuters editor Ashby has
received two e-mails from the kidnappers since the morning of
23 January. Both messages were threatening, and denied the
government was speaking to the hostage takers. The messages
promised further attacks and hostage-takings, and re-iterated
"the release of the hostages is directly connected with the
release Chief Alamieseigha and Asari. ... Be assured that
the hostages in return, will remain our guests... As earlier
stated, we have mandated no one but Chief Alamieseigha or
Alhaji Asari to negotiate the release of the hostages...The
hostages are going nowhere."


3. (C) The Bayelsa SSG said he had authority from the
President to sign a guarantee that there would be no military
reprisals against the hostage takers. He communicated this
information to their representatives, but according to
multiple reports, they do not trust his assurances.


4. (U) Ijaw community leaders are becoming more vocal in
the press in their requests to the kidnappers to release the
hostages.

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Hostage Welfare Update
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5. (C) Peter Quiatkowski, Ecodrill Country Manager,
received confirmation that medicines, mosquito nets, water
and other supplies reached the hostages. Ecodrill was
introduced to two local youths who were known locally to have
visited the camp where the hostages were being held. The
youths described the camp as "up the river," about two hours
from Warri, Delta State. They said it was guarded by 4
checkpoints with 3-4 militants at each. The entire camp,
including checkpoints, held 60 people. On January 20,
Quiatkowski gave the boys the supplies and a card with a
question which only British hostage Nigel Watson-Clarke could
answer. Quiatkowski paid them 40,000 naira, or about $300,
for expenses and 200,000 naira, about $1,500, as a "sitting
fee" and promised the same as a bonus on their return. The
boys returned January 23 with the correct answer to the
question on the card; Quiatkowski and Mission are confident
only Watson-Clarke could have provided the response. (Note.
Econoff was told by Bayelsa government sources that youths in
the Warri area, near Firewood Village, had bought medicines
and were seen carrying them into the camp. End Note.)
Quiatkowski returns to Warri tonight to meet with the youths
again. He plans to dispatch them on another visit to
hostages with additional medication; he indicated they are
eager to carry out a return visit. Working under the
guidance of Scotland Yard officials, Quiatkowski may attempt
to have the youths confirm whether all four hostages are
present in the camp, and whether the commander in charge is
willing to confirm discussions with Bayelsa State officials.


6. (C) Tidex has not sent a much-discussed e-mail response
to the kidnappers, but, in consultation with Scotland Yard
officials, continues to update the text of a possible
response daily.


7. (C) Bayelsa State will not release the photograph of the
hostages seen by Econoff, according to the Bayelsa SSG. The
Bayelsa Governor promised to keep press attendance at the
release of the hostages to a minimum, although he is planning
to have the hostages brought to his compound where his own
press officer will be present.

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Update on Hunt for the Supposed Mastermind
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8. (C) In a 22 January meeting with Econoff, British and
Tidex representatives, the Bayelsa Governor called Abel
Ebifemowei the "intellectual" author and orchestrator of the
kidnappings. The Bayelsa State SSG said Abel arranged a
protection detail for former Governor Alamieyeseigha on his
return from London, consisting of 200-300 militant youths.
Although these youths fled when federal government troops
appeared, they were Ebifemowei's natural recruits for
subsequent militant actions.


9. (C) According to the SSG, impeached Bayelsa House
Speaker Boye Dekeme made payments to the militia groups for
Ebifemowei. The SSG also accused Dekeme of renting a boat on
December 24, 2005 to allow his operatives to perform forward
reconnaissance on the oil facilities subsequently attacked,
as well as to recruit more youths for the movement. A
military officer named Bomadi reportedly assisted Dekeme, to
ensure that his operatives could move about freely.


10. (C) The SSG said there were warrants issued by the
Nigerian Police Force (NPF),the State Security Service
(SSS),and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) for the arrest of Ebifemowei. EFCC sources confirmed
on January 23 that a warrant was in process, but they did not
believe it had been signed. They have promised to follow up.


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British Diplomatic Action;
Shell Reaching out to Other Missions
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11. (C) British representatives have reported the British
Foreign Secretary spoke with President Obasanjo over the
weekend to enlist his assistance. The British High
Commissioner plans to speak with the Bayelsa Governor today.
Shell contacts reported the French, Belgian, Dutch, and
Swiss Ambassadors and Charge d'Affaires would visit Shell
today, and would be asked to assist.

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Ecodrill Challenges Shell on Community Commitments;
Political Demands Rattle Shell
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12. (C) Shell Executive Vice President Pickard appeared at
today's daily crisis group meeting hosted by Shell.
Ecodrill's Quiatkowski told her bluntly that, "Shell does not
keep its promises," meaning its promises to local community
groups. He said Ecodrill's willingness to follow up on its
promises ensured it had much better community relations than
Shell. Pickard told the group she had received the same
message "non-stop" from over a thousand Shell employees
yesterday in a town hall style meeting. She emphasized Shell
is not currently making commitments it cannot fulfill, but
Shell faced significant legacy issues from unfulfilled
commitments from the mid-1990s which still need to be
resolved. She asked Ecodrill's Quiatkowski and Tidex
Vice-President McNee to "contact her personally" if they were
aware of Shell failing to follow up on current commitments it
made. She told us Shell remains deeply concerned with rising
violence in the Delta in the run-up to the 2007 elections,
and had launched scenario planning exercises in December,
prior to the kidnapping, to attempt to better understand the
evolving political landscape. She noted Shell was accustomed
to economic demands to resolve hostage situations, saying she
was even somewhat "relieved" at the demand for 1.5 USD
billion in environmental restitution, as it fit the usual
pattern of demands. However, she finds demands for the
release of Chief Alamieseigha and Asari disturbing, as they
are far from the typical demands Shell confronts, and point
towards a far wider political agenda to which Shell cannot
respond.

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Update to Repatriation Plan
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13. (C) Pol Counselor Hanks traveled to Warri today for
additional outreach with contacts in Delta State. Conoff
Kovacsics traveled to Bayelsa State capital Yenagoa to
provide additional support for mission outreach and a
possible hostage release. Conoff will coordinate
repatriation efforts with the U.K. Mission. Currently, the
repatriation plan stands as follows: The Bayelsa State
Government will meet and transport the hostages from the
point of release to the Bayelsa Governor's compound in
Yenagoa. Depending on the medical condition of the hostages,
Shell will transport the hostages from the compound to either
their Warri medical clinic, or the Warri airport. Shell will
fly the hostages to Lagos on a corporate plane, where the
U.S. and U.K. governments will meet and assume responsibility
for them. The U.K. Mission will host the hostages in an
official residence for one night, (Mission has offered
alternative housing, if needed.),before accompanying them to
the airport for commercial transport to London on Virgin or
British Airlines. An American Consulate expediter will be
available at the airport to assist.

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Comment
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14. (C) While Mission is positioned to provide full
assistance in the event the hostages are released tonight, we
are operating on the presumption that the announcement of
their imminent release is premature; we are taking steps to
continue developing information sources regarding their
welfare and whereabouts.
HOWE