From Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt

The Rivers State Governor, Celestine Omehia, said government would continue to engage youths involved in militancy in order to boost security and peace in the state.

The victim, identified by the Police as Mr. Peter Agwuma, was kidnapped at about 9.00pm on Tuesday night from the premises of the Church of God Mission, Iwofe-Rumuolumeni, close to Port Harcourt, the state capital.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Felix Ogbaudu, told The Guardian that the oil worker was kidnapped by an unspecified number of gunmen as he was about to leave the church for home.

He explained that shortly after the abduction of Mr. Agwuma who hails from the Egbema area of the state, some persons rushed to a nearby Police station to register the incident.

The Commissioner, who insisted that the recent spate of kidnappings in the state had nothing to do with militancy, said concerted efforts were on to ascertain the gang behind the incidepnt.

He said the whereabouts of the Pakistani construction manager, Mr. Tahri, who was abducted from Bodo community where his company, Gitto Costruzioni Generali Nigeria, is working on the multi-million naira Bodo/Bonny dualised road construction project, remained unknown.

Elf's Government and Media Relations Manager, Mr. Fred Ohwahwa, who also confirmed Agwuma's abduction, said the company was doing its best to find him. According to him, no group has called Elf to make any demand.

"Mr. Agwuma is a staff of Elf in Port Harcourt. He is a production superintendent. No one has called Elf to make any demand. We are in touch with his family and the Police. We are all trying our best to find him," he said.

Meanwhile, the state governor, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Paulinus Nsirim, said government would continue to engage willing youths involved in criminality under its efforts to boost security, peace-building and youth re-orientation in the state.

But addressing audience yesterday at the ongoing Gulf of Guinea Energy Security and Strategy Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Omehia said his administration had awarded scholarships to two former militants who are to train as pilots in South Africa among other incentives to others who have renounced gangsterism.

Omehia said the absence of other maritime states in Nigeria might not guarantee water-tight control of illegal arms movement routes into the Niger Delta and called for a more concerted action.