Five workers of an indigenous dredging firm, Beks Kimse Nigeria Limited, have been abducted along the creek of Opuama in Southern Ijaw Local Government, Bayelsa State.
Three of the abducted workers – Inoku Godwin, Sam Ede, Jackson Ibani – hail from Bayelsa and Rivers states.
Also, a speedboat conveying workers of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) came under attack at Bonny Island, Rivers State.
The kidnappers, it was learnt, have slammed N30m ransom on their captives before they would be released.
The dredging firm is handling shore protection and reclamation work at the erosion-troubled riverside town of Opuama.
The project is financed by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
An indigene of the area told newsmen that the workers were seized by the gunmen who stormed the dredger in a speed boat.
The whereabouts of the kidnapped men remains unknown.
The Shell workers were attacked at Cawthorne Channel on their way to carry out repairs on SPDC facilities.
A source said: “The attack came from unknown pirates. The victims were maintenance workers of SPDC. But no casualty was recorded. Security agencies posted to the area contained the attackers”.
