Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said yesterday he would personally assume responsibility for the early and safe release of the five Chinese telecommunication workers kidnapped Friday morning in southern Nigeria.

 

Meeting with Chinese Ambassador Xu Jianguo at the presidential villa in the capital Abuja, Obasanjo said the "kidnapping incident would be well solved," adding that he hoped "the incident would not affect the development of Nigeria-China friendly cooperation."

 

Obasanjo pledged the support and cooperation of the Nigerian government at all levels, adding that the police would do their best to rescue the workers.

 

According to a reliable source, the five Chinese workers from the Sichuan Telecommunication Company were taken hostage early Friday morning by a group of unidentified armed gunmen who stormed their residence at Rumuakwunde, in the Emohua local council government area, part of the southern Rivers State.

 

The Chinese company has withdrawn all its workers working on two other sites in the same state to ensure their safety.

 

The company was involved in the Nigerian rural telephone project that, when completed and put into operation, will bring telecommunication service to various rural areas in Nigeria, the most populous African country with a population of over 140 million.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 8, 2007)