British oil worker kidnapped in Nigeria

A British oil worker has been kidnapped in Nigeria.

The man was snatched from his car in the southern city of Port Harcourt early this morning.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm that a British national was abducted in Port Harcourt in the early hours of the morning. His next of kin have been informed, and we are not releasing any more details at this stage.

"We are in touch with his company and his family, and the High Commission in Abuja are pushing for a swift and peaceful resolution to the situation.

"Unfortunately, these things happen quite often in Nigeria so there is a well-established set of procedures we are following."

About 200 foreigners - 20 of them British - have been seized in the oil-rich Niger Delta already this year.

On Wednesday, another British oil worker and a Bulgarian colleague were released almost a month after being kidnapped.

They were abducted as three-year-old Margaret Hill, the daughter of British national Mike Hill, was released after being held by gunmen in Nigeria for three days.

Margaret's kidnapping was the first of a foreign child in the increasingly lawless oil region of Africa's biggest petroleum producer.

Kidnappings in the region have generally involved foreign, male workers of international companies presumed to have the resources for ransom payments.

The unrest has cut Nigeria's usual daily oil output of 2.5 million barrels a day by about 25 per cent.

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

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