The Governor boarded the rig, which had been doing exploration work for Nigeria’s Consolidated Oil, and negotiated the release of eight Frenchmen, one Croatian and a Cote D’Ivoirian. Other reports say an American was also amongst the hostages.
The released expatriates included Laurent Banteigny, Jean Mestephe, Frederic Champagnae, Jean Francois Galard, Michael Baeza, Jean Bonifassi, Yannick Monty, Joe Charles and Davor Milic.
The men were prevented from leaving the rig when their Nigerian workers, upset over working conditions and pay, blocked the helipad. The incident, depending on the reports occurred either on Sunday or on Monday. The expat workers were freed on Tuesday.
While no one has been charged over the incident the Nigerian workers have gone on record by admitting they staged the takeover to protest what they allege was Forasol’s failure to pay agreed-on benefits. Their plight has been shared by Alamieyeseigha’s deputy governor, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
“They have been working for the oil service firms for two years. No letter of employment. No staff identity card. Their terminal benefits were unnecessarily delayed. That is why they down tools,” said Jonathan.
“They barricaded the helipad to prevent any aircraft from landing or taking off,” he added.
The Nigerian government has denied the incident was a kidnapping and has labelled it an “industrial action”. However, the detention of oil workers in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, where the rig was, is common. Furthermore, a Royal Dutch/Shell-funded report indicates the region is a violent place where almost 1,000 people are killed every year.
