Nigerian delta militants condemn girl's abduction

ABUJA, July 7 (Reuters) The main militant group in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta has condemned the abduction for ransom of a three-year-old British girl and said it should not be confused with the political struggle in the region.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which is fighting for local control of oil revenues by blowing up oil installations and occasionally seizing adult hostages, said it was part of the search for the kidnapped toddler.

''We are involved with the search for these criminals and will mete out adequate punishment when we eventually catch up with them,'' said a MEND spokesman who uses the pseudonym Jomo Gbomo.

''As in all societies, there is crime in the delta. This is separate from our agitation and must not be confused with militancy,'' he said in an email to Reuters yesterday.

Margaret Hill, who has a British father and Nigerian mother, was snatched on Thursday morning from the car in which she was being driven to school in the oil city of Port Harcourt.

The kidnappers called the girl's mother several times, first proposing to swap her for the father and then demanding ransom.

They threatened to kill the girl unless their demands were met.

Nigerian authorities, backed by British consular staff, are negotiating to try and secure the girl's release. Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has appealed for her to be freed.

NEGLECT The Niger Delta is home to Nigeria's oil industry, the eighth-biggest in the world. It is a vast maze of mangrove-lined rivers and creeks, polluted by five decades of oil extraction and neglected to the point that there are few basic services.

Armed groups including MEND have become increasingly violent in the past 18 months in a bid to secure ''resource control'', or power over the oil wealth they regard as their birthright.

Attacks on oil production facilities and abductions of expatriate oil workers are their most common tactics. Nigeria's oil output has fallen by more than 20 per cent due to the raids.

Numerous ''freelance'' kidnappers have also taken advantage of the lawlessness to seize foreign hostages and extort ransom.

Today, security sources said gunmen had seized three Lebanese men from a compound in Port Harcourt last evening.

The police chief of Rivers state, where Port Harcourt is located, said he had heard about the attack but was not certain of the details and those kidnapped may have been Chinese.

It is frequent for conflicting information to emerge about attacks in the Niger Delta, especially concerning nationalities.

About 200 adult expatriates have been kidnapped since the start of 2006, of whom at least 14 are still being held by various armed groups.

But it is rare for children to be targeted. The abduction of Margaret Hill is the third child kidnapping this year, according to media. The case has caused outrage in Nigeria, including among militants who fear it will undermine their cause.

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