Gun-toting security personnel have been drafted to Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, following the kidnapping of five personnel of the oil company by unknown gunmen, Thisday reports.
The kidnapping occurred 20 hours after the presidential and parliamentary elections took place.
THISDAY gathered that the incident took place on Monday at a Floating Storage and Offloading Vessel (FSO) in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Sources said five indigenous personnel who were working offshore at the FSO were kidnapped by gunmen suspected to be roving militants.
A source said following the incident, the management of ExxonMobil decided to shut down operations.
According to the source, the management was scared of further invasions by the militants and related post-election violence.
“They are scared that the militants will attack them again. Since they kidnapped five oil workers at the offshore, they have been thinking that they might attack them again onshore. That is why they shut down production,” the source said.
It was equally gathered that the company’s security department had advised its management to bring all the vessels together to avert further kidnapping of personnel by the militants in the area.
“Any vessel that is actively working, Mobil should now have three anchorages so that those vessels will be under security watch.
“Each of the anchorages will not stand close to each other so that they can be under security watch in order to forestall militants coming close to the vessels,” the source added.
