SITREP 27: 3 AMCITS REMAIN HOSTAGE IN BAYELSA STATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000422 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA, DS/IP/AF, DS/ICI/PII, DS/DSS/OSAC, CA/OCS/ACS/AF FOR MESARITI ZAGREB FOR AMBASSADOR BRADTKE WARSAW FOR LISA PIASCIK CIUDAD JUAREZ FOR DONNA BLAIR OSLO FOR HELENA SCHRADER ISTANBUL FOR TASHAWNA SMITH SAO PAULO FOR ANDREW WITHERSPOON DOE FOR GPERSON, CAROLYN GAY TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS, SRENENDER, DFIELDS COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS STATE PASS USTR FOR ASST USTR FLISER STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION FOR MARAD STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN AND MSTUCKART STATE PASS TDA FOR NCABOT STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2017 TAGS: ASEC CASC EPET KDEM NI PGOV PREL SUBJECT: SITREP 27: 3 AMCITS REMAIN HOSTAGE IN BAYELSA STATE REF: LAGOS 419 LAGOS 00000422 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Consul Alan B. C. Latimer for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) -------------- TransCoastal/Bayelsa: 3 Amcits Remain Hostage -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Three American TransCoastal employees (Bobbie Tyner, Shane McMorris, and Richard Moore),four British nationals, one South African, one Filipino, and one Nigerian begin their eleventh day in captivity. The ten individuals were kidnapped off the shore of Bayelsa State on May 25. -------------- -------------- ALSCON/AKWA IBOM: 4 Russians, 2 South Africans Hostage -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) According to security sources, two of the six individuals kidnapped on June 3 in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom, were South African nationals (reftel) while four were Russians. One of the Russians working for the Russian Aluminum Group (RUSSAL),which recently purchased the Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON),was reportedly a woman. -------------- -------------- Eleme PetroChem/Rivers: Ateke Tom Possibly Responsible -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Security sources reported on June 5 that the kidnapping of ten Indian nationals, including two women and two children, on June 1 in Rivers State, was well-planned and targeted. Forty attackers were said to have stormed the location and knew where to go and whom to take. These sources suggested criminal/militant leader Ateke Tom was likely behind this attack because Nigerian employees of Eleme Petrochemical and it's parent company, Indorama, have links to Tom's community. Additionally, the kidnappers' negotiation representative seemed to know what the company was prepared to negotiate in advance of their meetings. One security source suspected the kidnapping of women and children was a deliberate attempt to gain leverage with the Rivers State government. -------------- -------------- NLNG/ANAMBRA: 1 Chinese Released, 1 Still Hostage -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) A security source said only one of the two Chinese nationals kidnapped on March 17, in Anambra State, was released on June 2 as reported reftel. Eric Niu was reportedly rescued by intelligence officers drafted from the Nigerian Army in Enugu. Niu was purportedly rescued from a hideout "in a thick forest" in Ebonyi State, in south-east Nigeria. Nigerian intelligence suspected the Chinese nationals were kidnapped by members of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). LAGOS 00000422 002.2 OF 002 LATIMER