Gunmen kidnap guard at Nigerian oil rig

LAGOS, Nigeria – Gunmen raided an offshore rig in Nigeria’s southern oil region and seized a security guard, the Nigerian navy said Thursday.

The armed men arrived in several speed boats and forced their way onto a rig drilling for Nigerian company Consolidated Oil on Wednesday afternoon, navy spokesman Captain Obiora Medani said. They seized a retired navy officer working as a security guard.

The gunmen told the company they came from the nearby Sangana community and accused the oil firm of not meeting terms of an agreement to help provide them with jobs and local amenities, Medani said.

Kidnappings in the restive and impoverished Niger Delta have been common in recent months, with militants using the hostages to bargain for a greater share of the wealth from Africa’s largest crude producer.

AP