Four American Filmmakers are Being Detained in Nigeria

Four American filmmakers are being detained in Nigeria on suspicion of traveling illegally in the presently turbulent, Niger Delta. The film crew was in the region to collect footage for their documentary "Sweet Crude," which puts a microscope on the oil industry's impact on Nigeria's economy and environment. The project is being headed and finance by the Seattle-based Vérité Coffee.

Washington state Senator. Maria Cantwell was working to get the Nigerian government to release the film crew on Monday, obviously, this did not happen. After the initial denial of counsel to the four Americans, the Nigerian officials acquiesced and allowed a representative of the U.S. Embassy to talk with the filmmakers.

Sandy Cioffi, a Seattle Central Community College instructor on sabbatical, was leading the film crew through the rainforests of the large oil rich region in this volatile section of the country. "My office has been in contact with the State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, the Nigerian Embassy in the U.S., and Sens. (John) Kerry and (Russ) Feingold with the Foreign Relations Committee to ensure the release of the four filmmakers," a statement from Cantwell's office read. Due to recent violent acts by activists in the area, the government has demarcated the area as a high security zone. Foreigners are not permitted to travel there without the approval of the authorities.

The group was taken in on Saturday for ignoring the prohibition and were taken to the capital city of Abuja. They came into the country last week on April 5th, and were said to have notified the proper authorities upon their arrival about the purpose of their film. They were on one of the rivers when they were arrested. The lawyer that was been asked to help the crew has been denied contact with the detainees. Cioffi pointed out the hypocrisy of the Nigerian government when she came out and said the Nigerian government is holding the four because of Nigerian law, but the law also calls for the defendants to be able to speak with a lawyer.

One of the members of the was a former student from Seattle Central's Film and Video Communication Program, photojournalist Cliff Worsham. Other members of the crew are photojournalist Sean Porter, a University of Washington graduate, and producer Tammi Sims. Their families are in America waiting anxiously for their safe return. As of now, the only avenue of communication available to the crew is through text messaging.