Lawlessness Increases In Port Harcourt As Brit Is Kidnapped
Port Harcourt is riven by civil strife at present, with the army having been deployed to its streets after the usual lawlessness escalated with bloody shootouts between rival cults led to the death of at least 15 people. Exttra troops were sent to Government House and to guard Shell. Several companies have now changed their escorts from MOPOL to army in the belief that this will give greater security to their employees. That doesn't seem to have helped much though as 1 Briton, working for Hydrodive, was kidnapped from his vehicle. Although the number of politically-motivated kidnaps has decreased since president Umaru Yar'Adua came to power in May, the crime wave and gang warfare, particularly in Rivers State, has spiralled upwards almost out of control. There have been reports that the major oil companies may pull almost all expatriate staff out of Port Harcourt if the situation is not brought under control. I wonder how this will affect operations for CHC and Bristow in the next few months and whether their expatriate employees consider that the recent pay increases of 5% or less are adequate compensation for continuing to work in one of the more dangerous areas of Africa.