Gunmen kidnap British oil worker

Gunmen have kidnapped a British oil worker from an offshore oil rig in southern Nigeria, British officials said today.

Victor Akenge, the environment commissioner for the West African country’s Bayelsa state, said the kidnapping occurred overnight, at around 2.30am Irish time.

Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed a British national had been kidnapped and said Embassy staff were in contact with Nigerian officials.

“We are in contact with authorities and hoping to bring a swift and peaceful resolution to the incident,” a Foreign Office spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity in line with Government policy.

The incident is the latest in a spate of kidnappings in Nigeria’s oil-rich but impoverished Niger River delta region. Nearly 70 foreigners have been taken since the beginning of the year but most are released unharmed after a cash payment.

A Dutch construction worker and two Chinese remain in captivity. Some of the kidnappers make political demands, including the release of an ex-governor on trial for corruption and a former militant leader charged with treason. Other gangs just demand large cash payments.