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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| 'Britons kidnapped' in Nigeria | 'Britons kidnapped' in Nigeria |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Three British people and a Colombian have been seized in Nigeria's oil-rich Delta region, security sources say. | Three British people and a Colombian have been seized in Nigeria's oil-rich Delta region, security sources say. |
| Kidnappers snatched the four near the city of Port Harcourt, reportedly killing a Nigerian guard. | Kidnappers snatched the four near the city of Port Harcourt, reportedly killing a Nigerian guard. |
| The oil-producing region is notorious for kidnappings by militants, who demand a greater share of its wealth. | The oil-producing region is notorious for kidnappings by militants, who demand a greater share of its wealth. |
| But the Delta has been relatively calm since most major militant groups agreed to lay down their arms last year after the government offered an amnesty. | But the Delta has been relatively calm since most major militant groups agreed to lay down their arms last year after the government offered an amnesty. |
| Reuters news agency reported that gunmen snatched the four on Tuesday morning as they made their way to work at a power plant. | Reuters news agency reported that gunmen snatched the four on Tuesday morning as they made their way to work at a power plant. |
| Sources told Reuters that a Nigerian security officer was killed in the incident. | Sources told Reuters that a Nigerian security officer was killed in the incident. |
| The British Foreign Office said it was looking into the report "as a matter of great urgency". | |
| No group has yet claimed to have kidnapped the group, who a police spokeswoman said were contractors with a Dutch company working for the Nigerian subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell PLC. | |
| Rivers State Police spokeswoman Rita Abbey told the AFP news agency: "They were ambushed by gunmen. | |
| "They are Shell contractors who were going to Aba in Abia state." | |
| She added that police had launched a search in and around the town situated northeast of Port Harcourt. | |
| Militants in the Niger Delta have cost Nigeria's oil industry millions of dollars over the years. | Militants in the Niger Delta have cost Nigeria's oil industry millions of dollars over the years. |
| A variety of groups claimed to be fighting for the rights of local people to gain a greater share of the region's wealth. | A variety of groups claimed to be fighting for the rights of local people to gain a greater share of the region's wealth. |
| But in reality, many of the groups stole oil from pipelines and extracted ransoms from kidnaps and used the money to arm themselves and finance more attacks. | But in reality, many of the groups stole oil from pipelines and extracted ransoms from kidnaps and used the money to arm themselves and finance more attacks. |