Two Foreign Workers Kidnapped From Nigerian Oil Rig

April 27: A Canadian and a Scottish oil worker were kidnapped by armed men off a rig in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta over the weekend, a military spokesperson told CNN on Monday.

The foreign nationals were seized by the gunmen who attacked an oil rig owned by Niger Delta Petroleum Resources in the southern Rivers State around 8am local (3aET) on Saturday, Major Ibrahim Abubakar, a spokesman for the Niger Delta Military operations said.

“We have sent troops to the area, but we have not been able to locate the abductors and abductees,” said Abubakar, adding that the military has extended the search for the nationals beyond the area where the incident occurred.

Abubakar added that no ransom has been demanded yet for the workers, who have not been named.

This latest kidnapping comes after two Shell workers were abducted and their police escorts killed on Thursday, a Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria spokesman said.

Those two Shell workers have not been named nor their nationalities released.

Nigeria’s oil-rich Delta region produces the bulk of the country’s crude oil but has been hit by violence from militia and armed gangs.

Kidnapping for ransom is common in Nigeria and foreign workers and prominent Nigerians are often targets.

Last year, British missionary Ian Squires was killed after being abducted with three others in the Delta area.

Source: CNN