Cablegate: Rivers Kidnappers Up the Ante: Abduct British Child

VZCZCXRO4732
OO RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHOS #0487 1870854
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 060854Z JUL 07
FM AMCONSUL LAGOS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9190
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA PRIORITY 8993
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 0095
RUEHWR/AMEMBASSY WARSAW PRIORITY 0454
RUEHCD/AMCONSUL CIUDAD JUAREZ PRIORITY 0433
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL PRIORITY 0432
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO PRIORITY 0414
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMCSUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH AFB UK PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS LAGOS 000487

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - HANDLE ACCORDINGLY
SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA, DS/IP/AF, DS/ICI/PII, DS/DSS/OSAC,
CA/OCS/ACS/AF FOR MESARITI
ZAGREB FOR AMBASSADOR BRADTKE
WARSAW FOR LISA PIASCIK
CIUDAD JUAREZ FOR DONNA BLAIR
OSLO FOR HELENA SCHRADER
ISTANBUL FOR TASHAWNA SMITH
SAO PAULO FOR ANDREW WITHERSPOON
DOE FOR GPERSON, CAROLYN GAY
TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS, SRENENDER, DFIELDS
COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS
STATE PASS USTR FOR ASST USTR FLISER
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: N/A
TAGS: ASEC CASC EPET PGOV PREL KDEM NI
SUBJECT: RIVERS KIDNAPPERS UP THE ANTE: ABDUCT BRITISH CHILD

REF: LAGOS 412

1. (U) Rivers State police confirmed that on July 5, a
three-year-old British girl, was kidnapped in Port Harcourt,
Rivers State, on her way to school. This is the second time
expatriate children have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta;
the first incident involved two Indian children who were
abducted with two women and six men on July 1 in Port
Harcourt (Reftel). Two incidents involving Nigerian children
also recently took place in Port Harcourt. In early June, a
child was kidnapped from his mother on his way to school; no
details are known about his release. On June 26, gunmen
abducted the three-year-old son of a Rivers State House of
Assembly member in Port Harcourt as he entered school. There
is no indication that this child has been released.

2. (U) On July 4, in an unrelated incident, two New Zealand
nationals, one Australian, one Lebanese and one Venezuelan
national, were abducted from a Lone Star Nigeria Ltd. rig in
Rivers State. Lone Star is a subcontractor for Shell
Petroleum Development Company.

3. (SBU) Comment: The recent kidnapping of expatriate and
Nigerian children marks a noticeable change in
criminal/militant operations in the Niger Delta. However,
thus far these attacks have been focused in Port Harcourt,
the capital of Rivers State. End Comment.
LATIMER

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