Britons taken hostage in Nigeria

Three British oil workers have been kidnapped in Nigeria, police there said today.

A Rivers State police spokeswoman said the three and a Colombian, all working for the Nigerian subsidiary of Shell, were taken last week. No-one has yet claimed responsibility.

Militants in the troubled Niger Delta have attacked pipelines, kidnapped petrol company employees and fought government troops since January 2006.

They want the federal government to send more oil-industry funds to Nigeria’s southern region, which remains poor despite five decades of oil production.