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Nigeria oil militia hold Dutchman Foreigners held by Nigeria gunmen
(about 5 hours later)
Gunmen in Nigeria have kidnapped the security manager of a German construction company in the oil capital, Port Harcourt, police say. Gunmen in Nigeria have kidnapped three foreign construction workers in two separate incidents, police say.
The Dutch manager was reportedly seized at dawn by his abductors, who arrived on the waterfront by the construction camp in three speedboats. The Dutch security manager of a German construction company was seized in the oil capital, Port Harcourt.
They are said to have exchanged heavy gunfire with guards before escaping. Later, two employees of a Nigerian construction firm - one Lebanese and one Indian - were taken from their workplace in the city of Warri.
About 60 foreigners - mostly oil workers - have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta so far this year.About 60 foreigners - mostly oil workers - have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta so far this year.
Speedboat attack
The wave of attacks and kidnappings has led to a 25% cut in Nigeria's oil output.The wave of attacks and kidnappings has led to a 25% cut in Nigeria's oil output.
Oil workers under siege
The Dutch manager was reportedly seized at dawn by his abductors, who arrived on the waterfront by the construction camp in three speedboats.
They are said to have exchanged heavy gunfire for several hours with guards before escaping with the man.
In the second incident, two men who worked for Nigerian firm Setraco were taken from a construction site in Warri.
AP reports that the men were taken away by boat into the creeks and mangrove swamps that surround the city.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for either of the kidnaps.
A spokesman for the Joint Task Force in charge of policing the volatile region told Agence France Presse that troops had been deployed, "to hunt for the kidnappers".
More than 100 foreign workers have been abducted over the past year, some by militant groups fighting for local control of the oil wealth.
Increasingly hostages have also been taken by gangs of gunmen seeking ransoms.
As a result some oil and construction firms have pulled out and those that remain live under increasingly tight security.