By Nick Tattersall
LAGOS (Reuters) - Gunmen kidnapped eight foreign oilworkers from a vessel off Nigeria's Niger Delta early onSaturday, bringing to 16 the number of industry workers seizedin the past 48 hours, security sources said.
The men were taken from a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)tanker off the mouth of the Bonny river in the delta, a networkof mangrove creeks opening into the Gulf of Guinea which ishome to Africa's biggest oil industry.
"Around six heavily armed bandits attacked an LPG tanker,shot two civilians and abducted eight of the expatriates, whoseidentity is not yet ascertained," said Lieutenant-Colonel SagirMusa, military spokesman in the eastern Niger Delta.
He said the two civilians had been wounded but not killedduring the attack, which took place between 1 and 4 a.m.(0000-0300 GMT). He said no group had claimed responsibilitybut believed the motive was financial.
A private security contractor said the abducted men werethought to be two Russians, five Latvians and one Lithuanian. Asecond security source said they were believed to have beenworking for Global Gas and Refining Ltd, a Nigerian subsidiaryof U.S.-based Global Energy Inc.
The company could not immediately be reached for comment.
Insecurity in the world's eighth biggest oil exporter hascut Nigeria's oil output by around a fifth since militantslaunched a campaign of violent sabotage in early 2006 to pressfor greater development in their neglected communities.
Despite half a century of oil extraction, most villagers inthe Niger Delta remain mired in poverty, while the industry haspolluted their land and water.
"ALL IS FAIR IN WAR"
Criminal gangs have taken advantage of the breakdown of lawand order, funding themselves through a lucrative trade instolen crude oil and by kidnapping businessmen, localpoliticians and expatriates for ransom.
More than 200 foreigners have been seized since themilitants began their campaign more than two years ago. Almostall have been released unharmed.
In an attack late on Thursday, gunmen took 11 Russians anda Ukrainian on a vessel off Bonny Island. Some were released onFriday but five were still being held, security officials said.
More than a dozen men in speedboats kidnapped two oilengineers, one from the Philippines and one Nigerian, from avessel in the main industry hub of Port Harcourt on Friday.Another Filipino was seized while buying food on land.
Security sources said it was not clear whether the samegroup was behind all the kidnappings. No ransom demands havebeen made publicly.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)-- the region's main militant group which has pledged to bomboil pipelines over the next few weeks -- did not immediatelyclaim responsibility for Thursday and Friday's attacks.
"None of our units have reported being involved in anykidnapping yet," MEND said in an e-mail to Reuters late onFriday, but said the insecurity would help its campaign.
"These gangs have their advantages even though we do notsupport their motives and sometimes the modus. The truth isthat all is fair in war, as they have a way of frustrating themilitary and helping them lose focus," it said.
(Additional reporting by Randy Fabi in Abuja; editing byMary Gabriel)
