Gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying foreign workers in Nigeria's unruly oil-producing south, killing one Lebanese man, while assailants on speedboats kidnapped two Italians in a separate incident.
Five gunmen shot at the car carrying two Lebanese and a Nigerian as it neared the airport in the main oil center of Port Harcourt on Friday. One of the Lebanese men died instantly, while the other and the Nigerian driver were wounded, Rivers State police spokeswoman Irejua Barasua said.
Crime, armed militancy and attacks on foreign workers are on the rise across the increasingly lawless Niger Delta region, where all of Nigeria's crude is pumped.
Friday's attack marked a rare deadly incident in the bustling streets of the city during the morning commute.
While the attackers' motives weren't known, most foreigners are targeted for robbery or kidnapping in the area of creeks and mangrove swamps that remains deeply impoverished despite its vast stores of natural resources.
In a separate incident near Port Harcourt, a transit point for many expatriates helping maintain the maze of oil pumps and pipelines, gunmen exchanged fire with police escorting two Italian construction-firm workers before seizing the pair, Barasua said.
The Italian Foreign Ministry identified the two new hostages as Lucio Moro and Luciano Passarin.
The Italians were kidnapped when gunmen attacked their construction site, Italy's Deputy Foreign Minister Franco Danieli told Sky TG24 News.
"They arrived on board speed boats," Danieli said. "It was a real military assault."
Danieli said one other Italian and two other non-Italian employees managed to get away. Authorities haven't made contact with the kidnappers, he said.
He said there are 627 Italians in the area working for 24 Italian companies, despite Foreign Ministry warnings to pull nonessential staff from the region.
"There are too many Italians in the delta area," he said. "Too many, despite the warnings of the Foreign Ministry."
Nigerian militants have frequently taken foreign workers hostage since launching a wave of attacks on the country's oil industry early last year that have cut oil exports by 25 percent. Hostages generally are released unharmed after a ransom is paid.
In all, nine foreigners are currently being held by militant or criminal gangs in the Niger Delta. More than 50 foreigners have been seized since last month alone.
Kidnappers are demanding a greater share of oil revenues for the southern region. Despite the vast oil reserves, the region is among the poorest in Nigeria.
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