Nigerian officials begin talks to secure Filipinos’ release

SEOUL (AP) — Nigerian officials have begun negotiations with hostage-takers over freeing eight Filipinos and three South Koreans kidnapped in a pre-dawn raid in Nigeria’s oil-rich Delta, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Friday.

The talks lasted several hours Thursday night between the captors and officials of Nigeria’s Rivers State government, but ended inconclusively with an agreement to meet again Friday, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity, citing the issue’s sensitivity.

The hostage-takers asked for the meeting, the official said, citing information provided by Nigeria’s government. He also said the captives were confirmed safe.

It was unclear who the captors are and what demands they made, the official said.

The 11 foreign workers were kidnapped at a power plant construction site of South Korea’s Daewoo Engineering and Construction Co., about 30 kilometers (20 miles) northeast of Port Harcourt, Nigeria’s southern oil hub. A Nigerian driver was also taken, but was later released.

The raid was one of three attacks Thursday that resulted in the kidnapping of at least 21 people and the death of a Nigerian soldier.

Such seizures are common in Africa’s largest oil producer, where militants and criminals use them as leverage against the government, or to extract cash.

Unrest has plagued Nigeria’s oil-rich southern delta region for years, and in recent months gunmen have stepped up a campaign against the oil industry, blowing up oil pipelines to cut production by a fifth and kidnapping scores of foreign workers. Most captives are released unharmed.

In January, nine Daewoo employees were released after being kidnapped by an armed group. In June, three Daewoo employees and two others were freed after a day in captivity.