British Hostages Moved By Niger Rebels After Botched Rescue

Robin Hughes and Matthew Maguire in a photograph released by their captors

From Times Online:

Rebels holding two British hostages in the Niger Delta said yesterday that they had moved their captives deeper into the jungle after a botched rescue attempt by the Nigerian military.

Matthew Maguire and Robin Hughes were among a group of 27 oil workers taken hostage by rebels of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta in September after their boat was hijacked.

The other hostages, who included South Africans and Ukrainians, have been released, but the rebels said that they were holding on to the Britons as “leverage” in their attempts to secure the release of their leader Henry Okah, who is on trial for treason.

In a statement, a rebel spokesman said that the Britons had been separated and moved to new locations after raids by the Nigerian military on militant camps in three villages.

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