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Kidnapped Nigerian girl released
16/09/2007 19:06 - (SA)
Port Harcourt - The two-year-old daughter of a Nigerian oil worker has been released because the armed robbers who kidnapped her were disappointed with the loot from her house, an army spokesperson said on Sunday.
The robbers had seized the girl on Thursday from her home in
the anarchic oil city of Port Harcourt, in the Niger Delta, and
demanded a ransom to complement what they saw as a paltry haul.
"The girl was in good health and has since been handed over
to the parents," Sagir Musa said.
He said the toddler was released on Saturday night and no
ransom was paid.
Kidnappings are frequent in the Niger Delta and it is
standard for the authorities to deny that ransoms are paid, but
oil industry insiders and human rights activists say money does
usually change hands, fuelling the problem.
A traditional chief from a community near Port Harcourt said
last month he had paid three million naira ($24 000) to secure the
release of his three-year-old son. When the boy was freed in July,
the authorities had denied that any payment was made.
The targeting of small children or elderly relatives of
people seen as privileged in the impoverished delta is a recent
trend.
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