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Nigerian speaker's mom seized
25/07/2007 10:49 - (SA)
Yenagoa - Gunmen kidnapped the mother of state official overnight in oil-rich southern Nigeria, said the head of a volunteer law-enforcement group on Wednesday.
Chief Joshua Benemesia said the men arrived in two boats and took the mother of the speaker of the house of assembly for Bayelsa state.
The government-funded group he headed helped provide security in the state. The speaker could not be immediately reached for comment because he was out of the country.
Political violence had increased in the region since the run-up to countrywide elections in April - which were widely condemned as rigged.
Some candidates were murdered during the campaign, while others reported dynamite attacks on their houses and kidnappings of family members.
Politician found dead
This was the third attack on officials or those close to them this week in the oil-producing river delta region of Nigeria - Africa's largest oil producer.
A politician from neighbouring Delta state was found dead on Monday. On the same day, gunmen in nearby Rivers State stormed the house of a newly appointed energy official and killed two of his family members.
The official was not present when the shooting took place. Unrest appeared to be growing in the area - with hundreds of foreigners kidnapped and a string of bombings for the past two years.
Analysts said the violence had been exacerbated by the use of local gangs to intimidate political opponents.
Nigeria was rated as one of the most corrupt countries in the world by Berlin-based watchdog group, Transparency International. Most citizens struggled to get by on less than $2 a day in a country, where unemployment was high and arms were freely available.
- AP
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