Police in Nigeria estimate that ransoms paid there for hostages between 2006 and 2008 exceeded $100m. Getty ImagesThe £1 Billion Hostage Trade -- The Independent
How kidnapping became a global industry. Esme McAvoy and David Randall investigate.
Last week, the British aid worker Linda Norgrove was killed when US forces stormed the camp of the group holding her to ransom. In September, eight tourists died during a botched hostage rescue in Manila.
In August, three Russian airmen were kidnapped in Darfur. In July, four journalists were seized in Mexico. In June, a Russian businessman's grand-daughter was taken hostage. In May, it was Chinese technicians in Nigeria; in April, eight Red Cross workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo; in March, a British film-maker in Pakistan; in February, four Pakistani employees of a US aid agency; and in January, a US contractor in Iraq.
Read more ....
My Comment: £1 Billion per year .... a truly astounding figure that sends shivers down my spine and anyone else's who must travel a lot .... and sometimes to places that may be regarded as "unsafe".
No comments:
Post a Comment