Now, military officials have announced that the most recent abduction involves the two workers, Canadian and Scottish expats, when two gunmen raided an oil rig owned by Niger Delta Petroleum Resources on Sunday (28th April, 2019). Spokesman Major Ibrahim Abubakar said troops are searching surrounding area Incident is the second abduction in Rivers State in less than a week.

Gunmen kidnapped two foreign workers from an oil rig in Nigeria's Delta region on Saturday, the military said - the second abduction there in less than a week. "The attackers raided the rig owned by Niger Delta Petroleum Resources at around 8am," the spokesman for the area's military operations, Major Ibrahim Abubakar, said. Authorities said the kidnapped expatriates are a Scot and a Canadian. Troops were searching surrounding swamps, Abubakar said. 'When we heard about the incident, we mobilized to comb the swamp but to no avail; we couldn't arrest the perpetrators,' he added. Abubakar said efforts have been intensified to rescue and arrest culprits, 'but we have also advised the management to provide adequate security to their operations'. Authorities have not released the identities of the victims.

The Niger Delta produces the bulk of Nigeria's crude. It has been plagued by criminal gangs and by armed groups demanding a greater share of oil revenues. On Thursday, two senior executives with Royal Dutch Shell oil workers were kidnapped and their police escorts killed in Rivers State while returning from a trip. The workers were in Rivers State, returning from an official trip to Bayelsa state, when they were attacked.

Gunmen Shoot Bus Driver,

Kidnap All The Passengers On East-West Road In Rivers State, Nigeria (Port Harcourt)

Jonah Sokolo, a driver with the Abua Odual Local Government Transport Service, has been shot dead by kidnappers. The kidnappers also made away with all the other passengers in the 30-seater Coaster Bus. The incident occurred yesterday evening along Emohua axis of the East-West road in Rivers State. The bus was heading to Abua Oduah town when the kidnappers ambushed them along the deadly route, which has become road users’ nightmare. Nnamdi Omoni, Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Police Command, confirmed the incident but said the details were still sketchy. Recently, four human heads were chopped off in a cult attack in the same area. One person who narrated this harrowing experience to Sahara Reporters said his brother was a victim of the kidnappers last weekend.

As reported by Faderera Falade, the sibling went on the detail the event, by saying: ”My brother who is the driver was kidnapped from that same Emohua Axis of East West Road; we had to paid N500,000 for them before my brother come out. If this didn’t happen to you, you will not understand.”

The sudden increase in the region's violence correlates to increased oil production, since some local communities feel shorted from the revenue gain - thus leading to a forceful approach to take what they feel is their portion.

Earlier this month, a British woman was one of two people shot dead by gunmen who stormed a holiday resort in the northern city of Kaduna. Three others were kidnapped during the attack. In January last year, two Americans and two Canadian citizens were abducted while travelling from the town of Kafanchan in Kaduna state to the capital Abuja. Two of their police escorts were killed. The four kidnap victims were later freed unharmed in a joint military and police operation.

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