DiscGo
02-20-2007, 06:46 PM
4 Mormon missionaries held in Nigeria
SALT LAKE CITY - Four Mormon missionaries are being held hostage in Nigeria's southern oil region, an area plagued by recent unrest, a church spokesman said Tuesday.
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All four men are Nigerian nationals between ages 19 and 21, said Mark Tuttle, spokesman for the Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Scores of foreign workers have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta region since January. Hostages are generally released unharmed.
It was unclear Tuesday when the four had been taken and who was holding them, Tuttle said. They were seized near Port Harcourt, the area's main city.
A story posted on The Salt Lake Tribune Web site said the abduction occurred Saturday.
The church is not commenting on the kidnappers' demands but is working with local officials to secure the missionaries' release, Tuttle said.
The church has 74,055 members in Nigeria and 352 young missionaries serving there, Tuttle said.
"We pray for the welfare of these young men and are doing everything possible to resolve this matter," he said, reading from a statement.
SALT LAKE CITY - Four Mormon missionaries are being held hostage in Nigeria's southern oil region, an area plagued by recent unrest, a church spokesman said Tuesday.
ADVERTISEMENT
All four men are Nigerian nationals between ages 19 and 21, said Mark Tuttle, spokesman for the Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Scores of foreign workers have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta region since January. Hostages are generally released unharmed.
It was unclear Tuesday when the four had been taken and who was holding them, Tuttle said. They were seized near Port Harcourt, the area's main city.
A story posted on The Salt Lake Tribune Web site said the abduction occurred Saturday.
The church is not commenting on the kidnappers' demands but is working with local officials to secure the missionaries' release, Tuttle said.
The church has 74,055 members in Nigeria and 352 young missionaries serving there, Tuttle said.
"We pray for the welfare of these young men and are doing everything possible to resolve this matter," he said, reading from a statement.