Russian Foreign Ministry working to have Russians abducted in Nigeria released
MOSCOW. Feb 21 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that one more Russian citizen has been abducted by Nigerian pirates.
"On the morning of February 17, the Armada Tuah 101 tow vessel was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea about 70 kilometers southwest of the Nigerian city of Brass. Taking hostage the crew's command staff, namely chief officer Andrei Novikov, a citizen of Russia, three Ukrainians, two Indians, and one Indonesian, the thugs fled," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday.
None of the crewmembers was harmed in the attack, and the abduction was apparently committed for ransom, the company operating the vessel said.
"There are reasons to presume that the Armada Tuah 101 tow vessel was attacked by criminals responsible for a recent series of attacks on commercial vessels in this region, in which, in particular, two Russian sailors from the British vessel Esther C were seized on February 7," it said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian embassy to Nigeria are maintaining close contact with the vessel owner and are taking all the necessary steps to ensure safe release of the Russians abducted in Nigeria, it said.
