BEVERLY HILLS, January 29, (THEWILL) – Indications have emerged that the 15 Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) spy police officers who were kidnapped along the Brass/Port Harcourt Waterways, two weeks ago, are yet to be seen or released.
Sources informed THEWILL that the spy police officers were kidnapped on January 14, 2016, on their way to Port Harcourt, the Italian oil giant’s operational head office in Rivers State, from Brass in Bayelsa State.
Meanwhile, families of the kidnapped police officers have decried the continued silence of the management of NAOC on the incident.
In a protest to the company last Monday, some members of the NAOC’s spy police said since January 14, when the incident occurred, the company’s management had refused to brief them on progress made so far towards their release.
They said moves towards getting Agip to discuss with them had proved abortive, as no member of the management had agreed to discuss with members of the victims’ families.
However, at a meeting held with some spy police officers at the premises of the company in Port Harcourt, following the protests, the families were told that the company was “on top of the situation.”
According to a spy police officer, who attended the meeting and spoke with our correspondent under condition of anonymity, “it is the policy of Agip not to negotiate ransom payment with kidnappers, so as not to encourage more kidnapping of Agip staff in the Niger Delta.”
The source described the situation as “very sensitive,” and urged the families to put their hope in God, assuring that with fervent prayers, God will intervene to secure the spy policemen’s release.
It was also learnt that the situation had been causing disquiet in NAOC spy police circles, as some of those who were later sent to Brass for change of duty had allegedly declined to go until their colleagues were released.
When asked, the Rivers State Police Command spokesman, Ahmad Muhammadu, a DSP, said that he was not aware of the incident, stating that he was only liable to comment on issues happening within Rivers State Police Command’s jurisdiction.
Story by David Oputah
