British businessman has been abducted
from an upmarket district of Lagos, in a rare
case of an expatriate being taken hostage in
Nigeria's main commercial city.
Kidnapping of expatriates by armed gangs
seeking ransom money has been rife over
the years in Nigeria's oil producing
southeast, but in Lagos victims have usually
been locals.
Police spokesman Frank Mba said reports
indicated the man, who has not been named,
was abducted at about 11pm on Saturday
night while on his way home from a
nightclub in the high-end residential and
business neighbourhood of Victoria Island.
"I think they trailed him back to his house
and picked him up," he said. "We are doing
everything operationally possible to solve this crime."
A spokesman for the British High Commission confirmed an expatriate worker had been kidnapped, but declined to give his nationality or any further details. The spokesman said "there is no indication of terrorist involvement at this stage."
An unnamed security source told Reuters
that he was an oil worker.
Nigeria is one of the worst countries in the
world for kidnappings, a lucrative criminal
enterprise worth millions of dollars a year.
Abductions are most rife in the oil states,
but sometimes happen in Lagos and the
southwest too.
"Lagos has never had a reputation for
kidnapping and we want that to remain as it
is," said Mr Mba.
The kidnapping comes a week after men
claiming to be members of radical Boko
Haram Islamic group said they would not
free a French family unless Nigeria and
Cameroon freed all of their members from
prison.
In the north, kidnappings of foreigners for
ideological motives by Islamist groups have
taken a more deadly turn.
Militant group Ansaru killed seven foreign
hostages this month.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/nigeria/9956136/British-businessman-kidnapped-in-Nigeria.html