New security fears after kidnapping raid in Nigeria

ABUJA, Oct 4 (Reuters) Militants freed around 25 kidnapped Nigerian oil workers today but five abducted expatriates were still missing in another part of the Niger Delta after an unprecedented attack on a residential compound.

Heightening security concerns, the US consulate in Nigeria warned that militants may target Bonny Island, a major oil and gas export hub in Africa's top oil producer.

''This continuation of violence reinforces the need for American citizens to avoid travel to the region whenever possible and maintain a heightened security presence at all times,'' the consulate said in a circular.

''There is no indication of when this threat will subside.'' Yesterday, suspected militants invaded a residential compound for ExxonMobil contractors in Eket, in Akwa Ibom state in the eastern delta, killing two Nigerian security guards and abducting five foreign workers.

Security experts working for oil companies in the delta said it was the first time kidnappers had taken expatriates from within a residential compound. Such compounds are usually under tight security due to a history of abductions in the delta.

The experts also said it was worrying this kind of trouble had spread to Akwa Ibom, which had been relatively quiet all year while militants staged a wave of attacks and kidnappings in three oil producing states further west.

''We're quite concerned about it. The picture is not totally clear. We're trying to see how we can support the contractor companies in their efforts to find out what happened,'' said Paul Arinze, spokesman for the upstream division of Exxon in Nigeria.

The Eket raid came two days after about 70 gunmen attacked a convoy of boats supplying oilfields operated by Royal Dutch Shell in neighbouring Rivers state. They killed at least three soldiers and abducted 25 Shell contractors who were all free by today.

SHOCK The incidents came as a shock after a relatively quiet September in the delta, which accounts for all crude output from the world's eighth-biggest exporter.

Bonny Island, in Rivers in the eastern delta, is home to one of the world's largest natural gas export plants and also ships about 400,000 barrels of oil daily.

A sixth of Nigeria's production capacity is already shut in following a wave of militant attacks in February.

In August, 18 oil workers were kidnapped in eight separate incidents. All have been freed except for one Nigerian who was killed in a botched attempt to release him.

Security sources said three Britons, one Indonesian and one Romanian were kidnapped at Eket.

At least some of the men were thought to be employees of Bristow Goup Inc, a helicopter services company, which said it was investigating the incident.

ExxonMobil has a residential compound of its own in Eket and operates the Qua Iboe Terminal, a major export facility, on the coast of Akwa Ibom. The US major exports about 800,000 barrels per day from Nigeria.

Supply disruptions from the OPEC member have contributed to several hikes in world oil prices this year. The latest incidents did not affect output.

Violence in the delta is rooted in poverty, corruption and lawlessness. Most inhabitants of the wetlands region almost the size of England have seen few benefits from five decades of oil extraction that has damaged their environment.

Resentment towards the oil industry breeds militancy, but the struggle for control of a lucrative oil smuggling business and the lure of ransoms have also contributed to the violence.

REUTERS MS BD1857