Nigeria: Four jailed for kidnapping oil workers

A Nigerian court today handed down prison sentences to four men for the 2005 kidnapping of two British oil workers, the prosecution said.

Medard Ehimiko of the Financial Crimes Commission said the men were each given three-year sentences during a court appearance in the northern city of Kaduna, but that they would serve their time in a jail in the southern city of Port Harcourt.

Gunmen stormed a Port Harcourt bar in September, seizing the two captives who were later reportedly freed by Nigerian police during a shoot-out.

Kidnappings, protests and conflict are common in the southern oil delta, where many people feel the central government and oil companies should share greater revenues from the oil pumped from their land.

Successful prosecutions of kidnappers are rare and ransoms are frequently paid.