Abuja, July 06: Nigeria’s main militant group said on Monday it has seized a chemical tanker with six foreign crew members aboard.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said in an e-mail statement that the tanker was seized yesterday and would be held until further notice.
It said three of those aboard were Russian, two are from the Philippines and the sixth crew member is from India.
More than 200 foreign workers have been taken captive in the restive Niger Delta since violence increased in 2006, with most released unharmed after a ransom is paid.
The militants say they are fighting to force the federal government to devote more oil-industry funds to the southern region, which remains deeply poor despite its natural bounty.
—-Agencies