Well armed Niger Delta militants have kidnapped three Dutch nationals, two males and a female at Letugbene, a boundary community between Delta and Bayelsa State. Two Nigerians accompanying the Dutch nationals are said to be missing.
According to sources, the incident took place Sunday at about 4: 30pm, after the Dutch nationals left the palace of the traditional ruler of Iduwuni Kingdom,King Joel Ibane (Ogiobo IX) as part of their visit to the Dodo River communities where they had visited for a fact-finding mission around a local hospital in Amutu II when they were seized.
The sources stated further that the foreigners were in the community to see the local hospital which served over 16 communities along the Dodo River and figure out how they could assist the villagers in the area with health care.
It was learned that the armed militants who came in a Passport 19 spead boat with AK-47 rifles started shooting sporadically, and the villagers who came to the jetty to see off the foreigners started scampering into safety while several persons in the same boat with the foreigners jumped into the river leaving the foreigners at the mercy of the militants.
Another account stated that among those that jumped into the river; a man could not be found as the militants carted away laptops, ipads, mobile phones, cameras among other item as they sped off with the Dutch nationals into the creeks.
A Nigerian journalist who was with the foreigners on the trip told our correspondent that the incident that took place very quickly leaving him and others dumbfounded.
“I was on the boat with the three Dutch nationals and two Nigerians where the gunmen rounded us at Letugbene community and ordered everybody to lie face down in the boat. They collected all our belongings including handsets, cameras, IPads among others. I heard them say take the white men away. I do not know if the other Nigerians were equally seized because, at the time, they left we could not find the two Nigerians. Some persons in the second boat which including community leaders from Dodo River jumped into the river following the heavy shooting. We learnt some of them are missing including the Netherlands based-Nigerians who came with the foreigners”.
The foreigners, our correspondent gathered had on Saturday alongside a team led by Amsterdam based Nigerian activist, Comrade Sunny Ofehe of Hope for Niger Delta Campaign, HNDC held a press briefing with the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Warri Correspondent Chapel of their mission to the communities.
During a press briefing, the team said they were in the Niger Delta following the invitation by the leadership of Dodo River federated community led by Mr. Berry Negerese, who was said to have facilitated their trip to see how they have helped the local hospital which they said was built through a Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) initiatives.
Well armed Niger Delta militants have kidnapped three Dutch nationals, two males and a female at Letugbene, a boundary community between Delta and Bayelsa State. Two Nigerians accompanying the Dutch nationals are said to be missing.
According to sources, the incident took place Sunday at about 4: 30pm, after the Dutch nationals left the palace of the traditional ruler of Iduwuni Kingdom,King Joel Ibane (Ogiobo IX) as part of their visit to the Dodo River communities where they had visited for a fact-finding mission around a local hospital in Amutu II when they were seized.
The sources stated further that the foreigners were in the community to see the local hospital which served over 16 communities along the Dodo River and figure out how they could assist the villagers in the area with health care.
It was learned that the armed militants who came in a Passport 19 spead boat with AK-47 rifles started shooting sporadically, and the villagers who came to the jetty to see off the foreigners started scampering into safety while several persons in the same boat with the foreigners jumped into the river leaving the foreigners at the mercy of the militants.
Another account stated that among those that jumped into the river; a man could not be found as the militants carted away laptops, ipads, mobile phones, cameras among other item as they sped off with the Dutch nationals into the creeks.
A Nigerian journalist who was with the foreigners on the trip told our correspondent that the incident that took place very quickly leaving him and others dumbfounded.
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“I was on the boat with the three Dutch nationals and two Nigerians where the gunmen rounded us at Letugbene community and ordered everybody to lie face down in the boat. They collected all our belongings including handsets, cameras, IPads among others. I heard them say take the white men away. I do not know if the other Nigerians were equally seized because, at the time, they left we could not find the two Nigerians. Some persons in the second boat which including community leaders from Dodo River jumped into the river following the heavy shooting. We learnt some of them are missing including the Netherlands based-Nigerians who came with the foreigners”.
The foreigners, our correspondent gathered had on Saturday alongside a team led by Amsterdam based Nigerian activist, Comrade Sunny Ofehe of Hope for Niger Delta Campaign, HNDC held a press briefing with the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Warri Correspondent Chapel of their mission to the communities.
During a press briefing, the team said they were in the Niger Delta following the invitation by the leadership of Dodo River federated community led by Mr. Berry Negerese, who was said to have facilitated their trip to see how they have helped the local hospital which they said was built through a Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) initiatives.
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