AMBASSADORIAL MEETING WITH NSA MUKHTAR ON HOSTAGES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 001162

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA, CA/OCS/ACS/AF, DS/IP/AF,
DS/DSS/OSAC, DS/ICI/PII
DOE FOR CAROLYN GAY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2017
TAGS: ASEC CASC EPET PGOV PTER NI
SUBJECT: AMBASSADORIAL MEETING WITH NSA MUKHTAR ON HOSTAGES

REF: A. ABUJA 219


B. LAGOS 434 AND PREVIOUS

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Classified By: Ambassador John Campbell for reasons 1.4. (b & d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: In response to their request, Nigerian
National Security Advisor General Abdullahi Mukhtar convened
a meeting of Ambassadors from countries currently affected by
hostage taking in the Niger Delta. He stressed that the GON
knows the identities of the expatriates in captivity and in
most cases knows approximately where they are being held and
is in communication with their abductors. Mukhtar assured
the diplomats that the Niger Delta is President Yar'Adua's
"first" priority and he requested patience from the envoys as
the GON attempts to secure the hostages' release without
endangering their lives. Though he characterized the
Nigerian military presence in the Delta as "sufficient," the
NSA also admitted frankly that the GON needs help from the
international community on intelligence sharing, fighting the
movement of illegal arms, and combating oil bunkering. End
Summary.


2. (C) The Ambassadors of the United States, Russia, Italy,
France, the Netherlands, the Philippines, and China, along
with the High Commissioners of the United Kingdom, India,
South Africa, and Pakistan met June 6 with Nigerian National
Security Advisor General Abdullahi Mukhtar at his office.
The NSA was apologetic that the meeting, which had been
requested in April by the British on behalf of the
Ambassadorial group, could not be scheduled sooner. Mukhtar
was accompanied by Major General A.M. Halidu-Giwa, the Chief
of Defense Intelligence, and representatives of the State
Security Service (SSS). The NSA convened a similar
diplomatic meeting in February 2007 (ref A).

Delta is Yar'Adua's Top Priority
--------------


3. (C) General Mukhtar said he was speaking to the
Ambassadorial group on President Yar'Adua's behalf and that
the Niger Delta was the new administration's top priority.
He asked the envoys to understand how difficult it is for the
GON to deal with the Delta, which Mukhtar characterized as
"an entire population which has taken up arms against the
government." He complained about the increasing criminality
of the Delta crisis, noting that unrest which may have
started as protests against neglect, pollution, and poverty
has assumed a merely criminal, pecuniary character. Mukhtar
said that there has been a total collapse of community life
and traditional authority structures in the Delta; the elders
have been compromised and the youth have lost faith.
Therefore it is government's first task to reestablish
authority and trust in the region.


4. (C) Both the U.S. Ambassador and the British High
Commissioner agreed that establishing governance and public
trust in the Delta was key and they looked forward to hearing
the details of how this will be achieved by President
Yar'Adua. General Mukhtar reported that President Yar'Adua
held a meeting on June 5 with the new governors of Rivers,
Delta, and Bayelsa states and told them that the current
situation in the Delta is unacceptable and that they have the
primary responsibility to address security problems in their
jurisdictions.

Hostages, Captors are Known
--------------


5. (C) The NSA assured the envoys that the GON has a record
of all the hostages and the probable locations where they are
being held, but he cautioned that securing their release
would require "patience, planning, and doing nothing rash
that could create bad consequences." He said that in most
cases, the GON and the relevant state governments were in
touch with the hostage-takers and he was hopeful that some of
the expatriates would be released within days. (NOTE: A SSS
representative attempted to brief the group on the names and
nationalities of the hostages seized in various incidents,
but he embarrassingly omitted many individuals and confused

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the incidents, doing more to worry than to reassure the
diplomatic corps.)


6. (C) General Mukhtar complained that in some cases,
expatriates are taken hostage because they behave unwisely.
He counseled that GON warnings that foreigners should avoid
local hotels and "fraternization with women of easy virtue"
are ignored. The NSA said that the GON cannot restrict the
free movement of individuals in the Delta, but advised that
common sense and good security practices are essential for
anyone living and working in such a dangerous environment.
He also deplored the payment of ransoms, and said that
payment to hostage-takers merely emboldens them and makes the
situation worse. The U.S. Ambassador thanked General Mukhtar
for his commitment to policies of restraint and non-payment
of ransom. He urged the GON to do all possible to secure the
release of the three Americans who remain in captivity (Ref
B) and to provide any available intelligence on their health
and well-being to the USG.

Thoughts on Militants, Attacks
--------------


7. (C) The Indian High Commissioner asked the NSA whether
attacks against foreigners have grown more brutal, given the
June 1 attack on the Indorama compound in which women and
children were also taken hostage. Mukhtar replied that he
believe that the Indorama attack is the "first and last of
its kind" rather than a new trend in militant attacks. He
speculated that the abductors took women and children "to
avoid separating family members" who happened to be present
during the attack, rather than out of cruelty. The French
Ambassador asked whether Nigerian military forces in the
Delta were sufficient. General Mukhtar said yes, but pointed
out that the real problem for the Nigerian troops was that
"the most dangerous mission for any commander is an enemy
undefined," and in the Delta it is at times difficult to
distinguish militants from innocent citizens.


8. (C) The Italian Ambassador asked whether Dokubo Asari's
rumored imminent release was true. The NSA replied that
Asari's treason trial was ongoing and that the GON would
allow due process of law to determine his fate. He noted
that Dokubo Asari has already been pardoned and released once
previously (to no avail) and if released now, he was likely
to regroup and rearm another militia. A bail hearing is
scheduled for June 16, according to Mukhtar. The NSA also
pointed out that some other militants "wanted out" and the
government is trying to negotiate with them. Most notably,
Tom Polo is in serious discussions with the GON, according to
Mukhtar. By contrast, the NSA said that Ateke Tom is a
"mercenary" and cannot be reasoned with.

Requests for Assistance
--------------


9. (C) The NSA requested assistance from the international
community on intelligence sharing, stemming the flow of
illegal arms, and combating oil bunkering. He complained
that past commitments in these areas by foreign governments
had not always been honored. He also complained that some
Nigerian arms traffickers are being ignored or even sheltered
abroad. For example, General Mukhtar said Henry Okah is
known to travel around Europe and Africa, despite being a
known supplier of arms to MEND.


10. (C) The U.S. Ambassador and the British High
Commissioner reminded General Mukhtar that their governments
have offered assistance on both combating the flow of illegal
arms and illegal oil through the Gulf of Guinea Energy
Security talks. The U.S. and U.K. Chiefs of Mission offered
to meet again soon with General Mukhtar and perhaps the new
Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Staff to discuss
moving forward on the proposals and perhaps reinvigorate the
Gulf of Guinea process.

COMMENT
--------------


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11. (C) It is reassuring that the GON seems committed to
restraining from any rash military action in the Delta and
that they continue to oppose (at least publicly) any payment
of ransom. The NSA was much franker during this briefing
than he had been at the previous meeting in February 2007 and
seemed more willing to admit that the GON needs help with
illegal arms and oil bunkering. In February, the NSA chided
foreign governments for increasing their warnings to
expatriates to avoid the Delta. He made no such complaints
during this meeting, and indeed seemed to stress the need for
common sense and good security if traveling in what he now
admits to be a dangerous region. End Comment.
CAMPBELL