SITREP 10: BRITISH NATIONAL MIRRLEES RELEASED;

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 000091 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W STATE FOR INR/AA WARSAW FOR LISA PIASCIK CIUDAD JUAREZ FOR DONNA BLAIR ISTANBUL FOR TASHAWNA SMITH SAO PAULO FOR ANDREW WITHERSPOON E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2017 TAGS: CASC EPET KDEM NI PGOV PREL SUBJECT: SITREP 10: BRITISH NATIONAL MIRRLEES RELEASED; AMERICAN AND NIGERIAN HOSTAGES REMAIN CAPTIVE REF: LAGOS 87 Classified By: Consul General Brian L. Browne for reasons 1.4 (B) and ( D) ¶1. (C) Around 7:30 AM on February 7, militants released British national Neil Mirrlees due to the noticeable decline in his health since being held hostage. Mirrlees has been taken to a health clinic in Port Harcourt. Pivot will fly Mirrlees, a long time resident of Port Harcourt, to Lagos February 8. Most likely, Mirrlees will be flown to the United Kingdom for further medical treatment. American citizen Bill Graham and Nigerian national Ezekiel Akwa remain in captivity. ¶2. (C) John Walker of Control Risks Group met Mirrlees at the Port Harcourt clinic. Walker reported to the Pivot-GIS Hostage Crisis Group on February 7 that Mirrlees had lost weight but appeared unharmed. Mirrlees told Walker that Bill Graham and Ezekiel Akwa were upset at not also being released. Walker reported money had been exchanged to effectuate the Mirrlees release but could not provide further details including the amount of the payment. ¶3. (C) We continue to attend the daily Hostage Crisis Group meetings and to be in contact with pertinent state government officials to push for the release of Amcit Graham and Nigerian national Akwa. BROWNE