Five hostages taken from oil rig

Five people were taken hostage on Monday from an oil rig off the coast of Nigeria.

Two of them are believed to be French, according to a French Foreign Ministry spokesperson. The rig in the Delta region was attacked early Monday morning, according to the company that overseas it.

"We have indications concerning the abduction off Lagos and the possible presence of two French nationals among the people abducted," said French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero. "We are looking to confirm these indications."

The British company that oversees the rig, Afren, said only that the oil rig in the Okoro oil fields was attacked and five crew members were likely taken hostage. Two other crew members were wounded.

"Two crew members are stable after receiving wounds to the leg, and have been evacuated by helicopter to a shore-based clinic," said the company in a statement.

The nationalities of the five hostages were not given, but a security source told the AFP news agency that there were two French, two Americans and a Canadian.

Kidnappings are frequent in the Niger Delta, Nigeria's oil production heartland, with groups calling for a better distribution of the country's oil wealth.

RFI

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