Nigeria: Abducted oil workers shown in video

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - A suspected Boko Haram video showing three of several oil workers recently abducted in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri, was released showing the captives asking authorities to negotiate their release.

The university confirmed to Anadolu Agency that the three men on the video were members of their staff: Yusuf Ibrahim, a lecturer at the geology department, Solomon Yusuf of the same department and Haruna Dashe, a driver. The university also said the whereabouts of a fourth member of staff, Mohamed Kolo, were unknown.

A yet-to-be-determined number of geologists and their support staff working on an oil prospecting project sponsored by the state-owned oil corporation Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the Gubio area of northeastern Borno State were attacked on July 25 along with their security escort. Local media have reported some 48 dead and several others missing.

Most of the workers are reportedly from the university, which has a partnership with the oil corporation concerning a project around Lake Chad Basin.

“I want to call on the acting president Professor Yemi Osinbajo to come to our rescue to meet the demand of soldiers of Khalifa [Boko Haram] under the leadership of Abu Musab al-Barnawi,” Solomon said in the four-minute video released late Friday, suggesting that the workers had been taken by militants from the al-Barnawi faction of Boko Haram.

Al-Barnawi, scion of the late group leader Mohamed Yusuf, is a leader of a Boko Haram faction and is also said to be recognized by Daesh. the other factional leader Abubakar Shekau and al-Barnawi are now said to be fighting each other.

The abductee Solomon also warned against the use of force.

The video comes hours after the vice chancellor of the university Ibrahim Njodi called out the Nigerian army over its claim late Wednesday that the troops had rescued all the workers and lost nine soldiers in the process.

Despite the militants losing huge operational base they gained in 2014 and 2015, analysts say Boko Haram remains a serious security threat to Africa’s most populous country contrary to claims made by authorities.