BELGIUM: British Foreign Secretary William Hague says he is very concerned about the latest kidnap of foreign workers in Nigeria

Record ID: 235969

  • Title: BELGIUM: British Foreign Secretary William Hague says he is very concerned about the latest kidnap of foreign workers in Nigeria
  • Date: 18th February 2013
  • Summary: zBRUSSELS, BELGIUM (FEBRUARY 18, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF EUROPEAN UNION (EU) COUNCIL BUILDING EU FLAG ON SIDE OF BUILDING BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY, WILLIAM HAGUE, GETTING OUT OF CAR AND APPROACHING MEDIA MEDIA GATHERED OUTSIDE EU BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY, WILLIAM HAGUE, SAYING: "Well, I am very concerned, of course, that there has been another kidnap in northern Nigeria. We are in touch with the Nigerian authorities about this. I can't tell you more about that at the moment, but we will give you more information as we can." GATHERED MEDIA WITH CAMERAS HAGUE ENTERING EU COUNCIL BUILDING
  • Embargoed: 5th March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVADGU6ODKR97GC54NGV75IZ5GV2
  • Story Text: Gunmen kidnapped seven foreigners and killed a security guard when they stormed the compound of Lebanese construction company Setraco in northern Nigeria's Bauchi state early on Sunday (February 17), police said.
    British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday (February 18) that he was very concerned about the latest kidnap.
    "Well, I am very concerned, of course, that there has been another kidnap in northern Nigeria. We are in touch with the Nigerian authorities about this. I can't tell you more about that at the moment, but we will give you more information as we can," he told journalists as he arrived in Brussels to attend an EU foreign ministers meeting.
    Those abducted were a Briton, an Italian, a Greek and four Lebanese workers, including two women, police and local government officials said.
    This was the worst case of foreigners being kidnapped in the mostly-Muslim north of Africa's most populous country since an insurgency by Islamist militants intensified nearly two years ago.
    No one took responsibility for the raid but northern Nigeria is plagued by attacks and kidnappings by Islamist groups. Al Qaeda-aligned group Ansaru, which rose to prominence only in recent months, claimed the kidnap in December of a French national who is still missing.
    Bauchi Police Chief Mohammed Ladan said the gunmen attacked a police station and a prison overnight before storming the construction firm's compound in the town of Jama'are.
    Police said they were intensifying efforts to track down the kidnappers in the areas around Jama'are, a remote town around 300 miles (480 km) northeast of the capital Abuja.
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