Nigerian militants kidnap 3 soldiers in oil delta

ABUJA, March 24 – Militants in Nigeria’s oil producing southern delta have abducted three soldiers who ventured into a remote area near a major natural gas plant, an army spokesman said on Friday.

The abduction took place on Thursday night in the Soku area of Bayelsa state, one of the three main oil producing states in the Niger Delta, a vast maze of mangrove-lined creeks.

“The soldiers left their duty area unauthorised. Nobody knows for what reason. They were abducted by militants. Efforts are on to release them,” the army spokesman said.

There is a major natural gas gathering station at Soku which supplies the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas plant at Bonny and also some oil production facilities.

Reuters