Militants Threaten to Use Hostages as Human Shield
In the war of propaganda and counter-propaganda which has been going on in Port Harcourt this week, where militants claim to have carried out attacks and the military and oil companies deny that they have occurred, there has been rather a nasty new development. Early yesterday the military JTF carried out a large cordon and search operation in the waterside areas of Port Harcourt. They claim to have arrested 69 militants and recovered a quantity of arms and ammunition. The JTF spokesman also claimed that they have intelligence MEND plans to attack security positions in the state as well as use foreign hostages in its custody as human shield and get them killed in the process. He claims that MEND plans to use four expatriate hostages in its custody as human defence shields during an attack they have planned. In the process, they plan to put the men, among whom are a Briton and an American, forward to be in the line of fire, get them killed and blame the JTF for their deaths.
MEND certainly do still have a number of expatriate hostages and have threatened a similar thing in the past. It is to be hoped that the ceasefire they have also announced today will lead to negotiations resulting in the release of these hostages.
Shell have yet again declared 'force majeure' on oil exports from Nigeria following militant attacks on installations in the Niger Delta. Alakiri Gas and all the Cawthorne Channel flow stations appear to be closed down and Chevron also seem to have abandoned Robert Kiri and Idama temporarily.
Let's hope that this next week will see an easing of hostilities and the release of more hostages.