No clues in hunt for Americans kidnapped at sea, Nigeria’s military says

NBC NEWS - Nigerian military officials said Friday they had no leads in the hunt for two Americans kidnapped at sea off Africa's west coast, an area that has become a fertile ground for pirates in recent years...

NBC NEWS – Nigerian military officials said Friday they had no leads in the hunt for two Americans kidnapped at sea off Africa’s west coast, an area that has become a fertile ground for pirates in recent years.

“Yes, we are aware that they are missing, but we still do not have any information on the whereabouts of the men,” Nigerian navy spokesman Kabiru Aliyu said.  “But we have deployed search-and-rescue teams who are currently combing the creeks. We are doing our best to find them.”

U.S. officials confirmed to NBC News that two Americans were taken early on Wednesday in an area plagued by pirates, criminal gangs and active militant groups.

“We believe this was an act of piracy,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters. “At this point, we do not have information that would indicate this was an act of terrorism. Obviously, our concern at this point is for the safe return of the two U.S. citizens.”

U.S. officials were closely monitoring the situation and seeking more information, Harf added.

Nigerian officials echoed American officials saying they believed that the abductions had been carried out by “criminals” and not politically motivated militants.

Maritime news website Captain reported that the captain and chief engineer of oil supply vessel C-Retriever had been abducted.  Meanwhile, C-Retriever’s insurer Skuld told NBC News that the ship was “not under the control of pirates.”

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