15 NAOC Spy Police Officers In Kidnappers’ Den …Two Weeks After

L-R: Director General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Lagos, Dr. Gloria Elemo; Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, Mr. Bayo Ojulari, SNEPCo Portfolio Manager, Mr. John Eweje and SNEPCo Communications Manager, Mrs. Sola Abulu, at the opening session of the 2016 Offshore West Africa Conference in Lagos yesterday. SNEPCo was conferred with the only award of the conference, the Loyalty Award.

Almost two weeks after, about 15 Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) spy police officers recently kidnapped along Brass/Port Harcourt water ways are yet to regain their freedom.
Sources informed  The Tide that the spy police officers were kidnapped on the 14th of January, 2016, while on their way to Port Harcourt, the Italian oil giants operational head office in Rivers State from Brass in Bayelsa State.
Meanwhile, families of the kidnapped police officers have decried the continued silence of the management of Nigerian Agip Oil Company on the incident.
In a protest to the company on Monday, some members of the NAOC’s spy police said that since the 14th of this month when the incident occurred, the company’s management had refused to brief them on progress made so far towards their release.
They said that moves towards getting Agip to discuss with them have proved abortive as no members of the management has agreed to discuss with members of the victims’ families.
However, at a meeting held with some spy police officers at the premises of the company, following the protests, the families were told that the company was on top of the situation.
According to a spy police officer who spoke under anonymity at the meeting, it is the policy of Agip not to negotiate ransom payment with kidnappers so as not to encourage more kidnapping of Agip staff in the Niger Delta.
He described the situation as very sensitive, and urged the families to put their hope on God, assuring that with fervent prayers, God will intervene to secure their release.
The Tide also learnt that the situation was causing disquiet in NAOC spy police circles as some of those sent later to Brass for change of duty have allegedly declined to go until their colleagues are released.
This, however, could not be confirmed officially as at press time.