Kenya aid worker kidnappers 'wanted quick ransom'

(ANSA) - Chakama, November 27 - The kidnappers of Italian aid worker Silvia Romano in Kenya "wanted a lightning-fast ransom, but Silvia didn't have any money or a telephone," a Nigerian boy who saw her being abducted told ANSA Tuesday.
    James, whose education is being paid for by the NGO Romano worked for, "some of them wanted to let her go free, but the others refused".
    He said "Silvia was crying desperately, shouting 'help me' while she was being dragged away by the armed men. There were at least four of them, we followed them but they started shooting to keep us away. We only had knives".
    James said that if the kidnappers had been Somali Al-Shabaab militants or Islamist extremists "they could easily have committed a massacre, killing anyone they found".
    He said they could have done so by throwing a bomb into the guest house where most of the residents were, instead of the home-made device they set off in the street.
    A Kenyan regional police commander said Monday the police were getting close to Romano's kidnappers.
    Noah Mwivanda told NTV that "we are getting close. Everything indicates that we have almost reached the kidnappers".
    He said "we expect to find (Romano) alive".
    Mwivanda also voiced the fear some local residents were collaborating with the kidnappers by giving them refuge and provisions.
    NTV said the search for Romano had been boosted by information from three suspects currently being held by police.
    The search has now been narrowed down to a specific area of the forest, it said.
    Access points are being patrolled by police.
    Romano, 23, was taken captive in the African nation last Tuesday.