ABUJA, Nigeria -- British officials in Nigeria said Thursday they were investigating reports that two expatriate oil workers, including a Briton, had been kidnapped in the country's southern oil-rich delta.
A spokesman for the British High Commission, Graeme Bannatyne, said he could not confirm the reports but said "we are urgently investigating the issue."
George Timinimi, an adviser to the governor of Nigeria's Delta state, said two expatriates were kidnapped from a village called Obotebe by a group of men demanding unpaid salaries. He said the culprits were employees or ex-employees of the company the two men worked for.
Timinimi did not know the identities of the expatriates or the company's name.
Oil industry sources, speaking on condition of anonymity said the two men worked for Pan Ocean, and one of them was British. There were conflicting reports about the second abducted man. The sources said he was either Venezuelan or Irish.
Nigeria produces about 2.5 million barrels of oil a day. For years, local communities have been demanding a greater share of revenues from the oil flowing from their land, and hostage takings occur sporadically.
(c) 2005 Associated Press
Discuss employee kidnapping policy and response guidelines in our Security Operations and Management Forum: click here.
