Police: 3 Ukrainians, 2 Indians and a Russian kidnapped from oil vessel off Nigeria coast

ABUJA, Nigeria – A police spokesman in Nigeria’s south says that six people have been kidnapped from an oil vessel in the Niger Delta.

Bayelsa police spokesman Fidelis Odunna says that gunmen attacked an oil vessel owned by the Century Group and kidnapped three Ukrainians, two Indians and a Russian who were on board. He said the vessel was 70 kilometres (43 miles) off Nigeria’s southern coast.

Odunna said the gunmen have demanded 200 million naira ($1.27 million).

Foreign companies have pumped oil out of the Niger Delta for more than 50 years, making Nigeria one of the top crude suppliers to the U.S. Despite the billions of dollars flowing into Nigeria’s government, many in the delta remain desperately poor, living amid polluted waters without access to proper medical care, education or jobs.