Govt closely monitoring case of M’sian abducted in Nigeria
PUTRAJAYA: The Government is closely monitoring the case of a Malaysian abducted by gunmen off the coast of Nigeria’s oil-rich southern delta last Saturday.
However, Deputy Foreign Minister Kohilan A. Pillay said so far, there had been no update on the situation of the Malaysian, who was taken along with three others from Indonesia, Iran and Thailand during a deadly attack on two vessels belonging to an oil and gas services company in the Gulf of Guinea.
“We are still gathering information. The Malaysian embassy in Abuja is monitoring the situation,” he said after a flag-hoisting ceremony in conjunction with the 45th Asean Day celebration at Wisma Putra here.
It was reported that gunmen had attacked the vessels belonging to Sea Trucks Group before dawn, some 35 nautical miles off Nigeria’s oil-rich delta.
Sea Trucks Group provides support vessels to oil companies operating in Nigeria.
During the attack, six naval personnel were stationed on the vessels following a security request from the company.
However, two navy sailors were killed while protecting the vessels, two others were wounded and the remaining two escaped unhurt.
Nigerian navy spokesman Commodore Kabir Aliyu said Nigeria had intensified its search for the four.
Sea Trucks Group spokesman Corrie van Kessel said the company was focused on the safe release of the hostages.
She declined to say if contact had been established with the abductors to secure their freedom as it could jeopardise the efforts.
The motive for the attack and identities of the gunmen are still unknown.
The International Maritime Bureau said in a report last month that there had been 32 piracy incidents recorded in the Gulf of Guinea in the first half of this year, up from the 25 attacks previously. — Bernama