Gunmen kidnap foreigners, kill 2 police in Nigeria

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - An American and a Canadian were abducted in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Kaduna after their police escorts were killed in a gun battle with attackers, police said Wednesday.

Kaduna police spokesperson Mukhtar Aliyu said the expatriates were kidnapped along the volatile Abuja expressway late Tuesday. He did not name the abductees.

“It is confirmed that an American and a Canadian were ambushed by unknown gunmen around Kagarko on their way from Kaduna to Abuja around 8 p.m. Tuesday,” Aliyu told Anadolu Agency.

“Also, the two police escorts attached to the expatriates engaged the kidnappers in a gun battle. The two police officers died in the unfortunate incident and efforts are being made to track down the assailants,” he added.