Nigeria promises kidnap crackdown

Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasanjo has promised to act against those suspected of involvement in a string of kidnappings in the Niger Delta region.

He said he had ordered 24-hour patrols in the Delta’s creeks and swamps, and threatened action against oil firms who paid ransoms for their workers.

“We are going to be firm and say no to violence and hostage taking,” he said.

Five groups of foreign oil workers have been seized in the delta in the past two weeks but no-one has been arrested.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, shortly after four foreign workers were freed unharmed, Mr Obasanjo vowed to confront “force with force”.

BBC