MANILA, 24 January 2007 — Twenty-four Filipino seamen, not six as earlier reported, were kidnapped by a political group in Nigeria, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

“There is reasonable belief to assume that the entire crew of 24, including the ship, have been held hostage,” DFA Undersecretary Esteban Conejos said in a press conference, adding that all of the ship’s crew members are Filipinos.

However, Conejos said that the DFA has only been able to confirm that 17 were taken hostage by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta or MEND.

Conejos said that the Baco Liner 2 was hijacked before reaching Niger Delta where it was headed and the ship’s Filipino crewmen were taken to a village near state capital Warri.

He said seven crewmen, including the captain, chief officer, two cooks and three seamen, were left aboard the ship, now thought to be anchored off the coast of Warri.

“I’d like to emphasize, the (words) there (are) ‘reasonable belief to assume’, because up to this time, the ship owners do not have radio and communication contact with the ship,” he added.

Based on information provided by several sources of DFA, Conejos said the ship was on its way to Warri from Niger Delta when it was boarded by a group of gunmen. The gunmen snatched 17 crewmen and took them to a village.

Conejos said that according to information “all of the Filipino crewmen are safe and sound” and being taken care of by their abductors.

He said food cooked from the ship is being delivered to the 17 crewmen being held hostage in a village.

“There is enough food in the ship. Food is being provided to the 17 staying in the village from food being prepared in the ship. The ship is provisioned for one month. Food and water is adequate. Our seamen are being treated well,” he added.

According to Conejos, the Philippine Consulate office in Nigeria was in close coordination with the Nigerian government and the German employer for the safe release of the crewmen.

He said a negotiator has been identified by the Nigerian government.

He said the negotiator has been in close contact with the abductors.

Earlier yesterday, the Nigerian government was to assure the Philippine government that it is doing everything in its power to obtain the release of the Filipinos who were seized by unidentified men over the weekend.

“The foreign minister will be speaking with the representative of the Philippine government here to explain the situation in Nigeria and to say that it is not that we are not doing our best to ensure that those that have been seized get back home safe and sound,” Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo’s spokeswoman, Remi Oyo, told AFP Monday.

The DFA undersecretary said all the 24 crewmen have been identified by DFA. However, he said their identities are being withheld pending notification of the victims’ families.

President Arroyo on Monday ordered a temporary halt to deployment of workers to Nigeria following the kidnapping of the Filipino crewmen.

“The president has ordered a temporary halt to deployments to Nigeria until the security of our nationals is guaranteed,” Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a statement.

Malacañang has assured that the government is using all its resources for the safe release of the abducted crewmen. (With reports from agencies)