Gunmen kidnapped two Lebanese construction workers in Nigeria’s oil-producing Niger Delta on Friday, a military spokesman said.
The two men, who work for Italian firm Stabilini, were snatched in Delta state in the western part of the anarchic wetlands region. The kidnappers took them away by speedboat, he said.
“Our troops are pursuing them into the creeks now,” said Omale Ochagwuba, spokesman for the Joint Task Force responsible for security in the area.
Stabilini is building a hospital at Ogara in Delta state and the men were on their way there when they were snatched, he said.
Oil industry sources said they had heard three Chinese and one Pole had been kidnapped and they named the same area. But this could not be confirmed by the authorities and it was unclear if it was the same incident being reported differently, or a separate incident.
The new Nigerian government and armed groups in the delta have made peace overtures in the past two weeks but the situation in the region remains volatile.
Some militants abduct foreigners to press political demands, but kidnappings for ransom are also very frequent. About 20 other foreigners are being held captive in different parts of the delta.