Nigerian kidnappers demand US$2 million for the release of one Colombian and four Brits who were abducted on Tuesday, local police said Thursday.
A spokesperson for the Nigerian police in the delta where the oil workers were kidnapped confirmed the ransom request, but wouldn’t give any further details.
Colombian Fabian Sanchez and Brits John Bennet, Kevin Gray and Martin Phillip were kidnapped at gunpoint by armed men while travelling in a convoy near to the city of Port Harcourt, which is in the center of the African country’s oil producing industry.
Police have launched an operation to rescue the hostages, and offered a US$13,000 reward for information leading to their safe return.
Armed groups in the oil-rich, but poverty-stricken African country often attempt to kidnap employees of multinational oil companies for extortion purposes.