Update on Kidnapping of Filipinos in Nigeria

25 September 2018 – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is taking the necessary steps to ensure the safe release of seven Filipinos who were among a dozen crew members of a Swiss-owned vessel who were taken by armed men off the coast of Nigeria on Saturday.

The Philippine Embassies in Abuja and Berne are making the necessary coordination with concerned authorities in Nigeria and Switzerland to get additional information on the condition and whereabouts of the seven Filipino crew members of the MV Glarus.

The Philippine Embassy in Abuja said the seven were among 12 of 19 crew members who were reported to have been taken by gunmen as the vessel was making its way from Lagos to Port Harcourt.

Ambassador to Nigeria Shirley Ho Vicario said the seven are among 12 Filipino crewmen on board the vessel. Ambassador Vicario said five other Filipinos and two foreign nationals were left on board the vessel but it was not immediately clear why they were not taken.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano has directed the Office of Migrant Workers Affairs (OMWA) to notify and extend the necessary assistance to the families in the Philippines of the seven Filipino seafarers. END