3 hostages taken from Shell oil complex

YENAGOA, Nigeria – Armed men who seized control of a Royal Dutch Shell PLC oil complex overnight fled Friday, taking three Nigerian hostages, shooting a man and forcing the oil giant to halt production at the site.

The attackers kidnapped a soldier, an administrative officer and a chef who works at a base that houses staff and stores equipment in Oporoma in the southern state of Bayelsa, said Joshua Benemesia, a traditional chief who has mediated hostage negotiations in the oil-rich delta region.

At least one man was shot in the attack, Benemesia said. Neither his identity nor his condition were immediately known.

Benemesia said he had not seen the assault himself, but had talked to members of his group at the scene. He said there were around 14 attackers.

AP