Gunmen Kidnap Seven, Including Australians, South African in Calabar

Gunmen in Calabar, Southern Nigeria have killed a local driver and kidnapped as many as seven people.

There was some initial confusion over the number of victims and nationalities of those involved, as police in Nigeria gave conflicting accounts.

According to a statement by the Nigerian police, the incident occurred when a group of about 30 unidentified armed men attacked the workers’ vehicle on the outskirts of the port city of Calabar, the capital of Cross River State in the Niger Delta region, at around 5:30 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) on Wednesday. The workers were said to be contractors for cement company Lafarge Africa.

According to witnesses, the gunmen first shot and killed the local driver on the spot and dragged the abductees to waiting boats.

Meanwhile, Irene Ugbo, a spokeswoman for Cross River State police, said that two of the non-expatriate abductees have managed to flee, without giving more details.

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