A fighter of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), poses with a heavy machine-gun at the militia's creek camp in the Niger Delta, in September. Nigerian troops killed two militants in a river clash with insurgents in the volatile oil-rich Niger Delta, according to an army spokesman. (AFP/File/Pius Utomi Ekpei)Pirates Hijack Nigeria Oil Ship, Attack Two Others -- Reuters
LAGOS (Reuters) – Pirates in Nigeria attacked at least two oil vessels in the offshore waters of the Niger Delta on Saturday, briefly seizing a group of oil workers including seven French citizens, security sources said.
Gunmen early Saturday hijacked the vessel Bourbon Ajax in the oil-producing delta, also taking 10 Nigerians on board hostage, two private security sources said.
The boat and the captives were released a short time later. One security source said the boat was contracted by Canada's Addax Petroleum.
A French embassy spokesman in Nigeria confirmed that the French workers were safe. A Nigerian military spokesman had no immediate comment.
Insecurity in the heart of Africa's biggest oil and gas industry has shut down around a fifth of the OPEC member's oil production since early 2006.
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My Comment: The gangs in Nigeria are now trying to copy what Somali pirates are doing. Inaction against Somali pirates will breed an entirely new conflict in Africa.