Four missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been abducted and are being held hostage near Port Harcourt, Nigeria, a church spokesman said Tuesday.
All four men are Nigerian nationals between the ages of 19 and 21, church spokesman Mark Tuttle said.
It was unclear Tuesday when the four had been taken and who was holding them, Tuttle said. A story posted on The Salt Lake Tribune Web site said the abduction occurred Saturday.
The church is not commenting on the kidnappers’ demands but is working with local officials to secure the missionaries’ release.
The Salt Lake City-based LDS Church has 74,055 members in Nigeria, Tuttle said, with 109 congregations or wards. There are 352 young missionaries serving there, Tuttle said.
“We pray for the welfare of these young men and are doing everything possible to resolve this matter,” he said, reading from a statement.
The kidnapping comes amid increasing unrest in the country’s southern oil region. Hostages are generally released unharmed, Tuttle said.
Scores of foreign workers have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta region since January.