Doris Leblond
OGJ Correspondent
PARIS, Nov. 12 -- Kidnappers on Nov. 11 released the 10 crew members of the oil service vessel Bourbon Sagitta, who were abducted Oct. 31 off the Bakassi peninsula between Nigeria and Cameroon (OGJ Online, Nov. 3, 2008). The French Foreign Ministry, which made the announcement, described their release as a "100% Cameroon operation." It said there was no violence involved and no ransom paid.
The politically motivated kidnapping was carried out by a Bakassi group called the Niger Delta Defense and Security Council, which disputed an International Court ruling handing over the Bakassi peninsula to Nigeria.
The crew included six Frenchmen, one Franco-Senegalese, a Tunisian, and two Cameroonians. All were said to be in good health, and they are expected to return home to their respective countries by Nov. 12.
The vessel belonged to Bourbon Offshore Surf, which expressed gratitude to the Cameroon authorities, the French Foreign Ministry, and others who contributed to the crew's release.
French president Nicolas Sarkozy said Cameroon President Paul Biya was instrumental in freeing the hostages, and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner credited the Nigerian authorities, with whom contact had been maintained throughout.
