Gunmen killed a Lebanese businessman in his home early Friday in oil-rich southern Nigeria, police said, while attackers tried to ambush a truck carrying several foreign workers in what appeared to be a kidnapping attempt later in the day.
Kidnappings and oil rig attacks are common in the river delta region of Africa’s largest crude producer, where Royal Dutch Shell PLC, ExxonMobil Corp. and Eni SpA have large operations. Assailants range from militants demanding political change to criminal gangs seeking ransoms.
State police spokeswoman Irejua Barasua called the 3 a.m. attack on the Lebanese businessmen in central Port Harcourt an attempted kidnapping, but did not say why police believed the assailants were trying to abduct the man.
A nearby police station was attacked shortly afterward, Barasua said, and three officers were wounded. It was not immediately clear if the incidents were related. Barasua did not provide more details.
A family friend, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, said the dead Lebanese man initially came to Nigeria to work as a carpenter for a large company and then started his own business. The friend said he thought an attempted kidnapping was unlikely, because the man was self-employed and not wealthy.
In an incident Friday evening in Port Harcourt, an Associated Press reporter saw several gunmen in a minibus open fire near a truck containing several foreign workers in an apparent kidnapping attempt.
Police escorting the expatriates returned fire as dozens of bystanders fled, abandoning their vehicles on one of the city’s busiest roads. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties or who the expatriates worked for.
More than 150 foreigners have been seized in the region so far this year, as well as many Nigerians. About a dozen remain in captivity.
Those taken hostage have typically been released unharmed, although some have reported being beaten and a Belarusian woman was shot in the knee and held for more than a week without medical attention.
Police officers have been killed in a number of attacks or attempted kidnappings.
Arrests are rare, even though the kidnappings and bombings have cut petroleum production in Nigeria by about a quarter, helping to drive up oil prices worldwide.