Cablegate: Four Expat Agip Employees Kidnapped; No Americans

VZCZCXRO8688
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHOS #1408 3411557
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071557Z DEC 06 ZDS
FM AMCONSUL LAGOS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8255
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA PRIORITY 8096
INFO RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH AFB UK
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS LAGOS 001408

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D COPY - CLASSIFICATION (SBU)

SIPDIS

DOE FOR GPERSON, CGAY
TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS, SRENENDER, DFIELDS
COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS
STATE PASS USTR FOR ASST USTR SLISER
STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION FOR MARAD
STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN AND MSTUCKART
STATE PASS TDA FOR NCABOT
STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER
STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ

E.O. 12958: DECL: N/A
TAGS: EPET ENERG ASEC PTER NI
SUBJECT: FOUR EXPAT AGIP EMPLOYEES KIDNAPPED; NO AMERICANS
INVOLVED

1. (SBU) According to Fidelis Anju, General Manager for
Public Affairs, Agip Oil Company, three Italian and one
Lebanese Agip employees were taken hostage during an early
morning attack on a residential facility near the Agip Brass
tank farm. According to the Agip spokesman, no Americans
were involved in the attack, which occurred between 6:30 and
7:00 AM on December 7. Agip believes that, although the
attack occurred near the Twon Brass community, the local
community did not participate in the attack. The attackers
split into two groups, one approaching a small security post
on one side of the creek and another the residential compound
directly opposite, Anju said. Following an exchange of
gunfire, the attackers departed with the hostages. An online
news source reported that one Nigerian was killed in the
exchange, and that the attack involved seven boats.

2. (U) Operations at the Brass tank farm and other
operations at the facility were unaffected. The tank farm
takes in 200,000 barrels per day of petroleum from the fields
and offloads approximately 1 million barrels onto ships for
export every three to four days, the Agip spokesman said.

BROWNE

© Scoop Media