Gunmen Tuesday abducted three British and one Colombian nationals working for a Shell contractor as they travelled from Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers state in the restive Niger Delta oil region, to Afam in South-east Abia state, the police said.
Rivers police spokesman Rita Abbey said the foreign nationals were seized around 7.15 am local time at Obehie (Abia state), some 25 kilometres south of the Rivers capital, where they are based with their company, Necodecima, which is a Shell contractor.
The gunmen also shot dead the police guard attached to the foreigners and took a way his gun, while the driver of the vehicle in which they were travelling was also shot and is now in critical condition, Abbey said.
”We have already announced a 2 million naira (about US$13,000) reward for infor mation that can assist us to rescue the expatriates and arrest the criminals,” the spokesperson said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Kidnapping for ransom, which used to be restricted to the Niger Delta, is now a common occurrence in Nigeria’s South-east region.