Croats In Nigeria Aware Of Abduction Risk

Croats are frequent workers in Nigeria and have an excellent relationship with the locals, but are still frequently targeted by kidnappers.

Of all white nations, Croats have the best relationship with the local population in Nigeria, which is a favourable circumstance for our abducted sailors," said Split residents Zlatko Boko, who has worked in the Niger delta for eight years, and Zoran Breski, who has worked there for five years for the international company Seacor.

Croatian "Sime" is like a brother

"Those with whom Nigerians have a catastrophic relationship are mostly American, British, and Polish, while we, Croats, are like brothers to them and they will not harass us. Half of the Nigerian port speaks Croatian and they call all Croats "Sime." Because there are many Dalmatians there, Hajduk is also exceptionally popular. If you are Croatian, as soon as you land at the Lagos airport, you are greeted with the words "Croatian brother," says Zlatko Boko.

"It is precisely because we have the least amount of problems with the local population that companies are looking for Croats more and more. Croatian captains' wages on a Nigerian supplier amount to 8,000 euros and our people only do the most important jobs there, which means they are either captains or engineers, while Nigerians do all the rest," added Boka.

Abductions as a consequence of hunger 

"It is best to deal with the situation through Nigerian channels. Nigeria is like the wild west, crime and corruption reign supreme and that is why soldiers are always driving in the van with us," Breski points out.

"Kidnappers take money because they do not have anything to eat. The local population in the Niger delta used to live on fish because there was nothing else. However, because of the pollution brought by ships, there is no more fish and people are hungry," concludes Boko.

"Hydrodive" in touch with the captured three   

As Slobodna Dalmacija learns from Tomislav Mustra, director of the Mariner agency in Trogir, the company "Hydrodive" has established contact with the kidnapped sailors Renato Garma, Mate Lusa, and Milan Smolovic, who said that they were fine in a brief conversation over the phone, that they were being treated fairly by the kidnappers, that they had everything they needed, and that they were not being abused. Mustra added that he had notified the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the abducted sailors' families on the matter.