Over 50 militants arrested in Nigeria

  1. Posted on Monday 22 November 2010 - 16:02
    Samuel
    Image of Samuel
    Samuel Okocha, AfricaNews reporter in Lagos, Nigeria
    The Nigerian army said it arrested over 50 militants suspected of involvement in the recent series of kidnappings of oil workers, including foreigners in the country's oil rich Niger Delta region. According to the military, a gang of militants were rounded up in an operation that lasted eight hours in Rivers State.
    Islamists attack Nigerian official's home
    "The gang leader and over 50 of his members," were rounded up after special military forces raided a camp in oil-rich Rivers state in southern Nigeria, AFP quoted spokesman for the special taskforce Timothy Antigha as saying on Saturday.

    "They were the group that abducted the Exxon Mobil workers and the Afren group workers and were responsible for other previous kidnappings and robberies in the past," said Antigha.

    "We had surrounded the whole place and ...so they had to surrender. They were forced to surrender because of fire power," one senior military official who took part in the raid said.

    The military had earlier in the week on freed the 19 hostages from the creeks of the Niger Delta region in an operation that combined, land, marine and air assaults.

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