British businessman kidnapped in Lagos: Niger police
LAGOS, NIGERIA: Make-shift homes are erected by the poor under a Lagos fly-over overlooking the skyscrapers that dot central Lagos 02 April, 2004.
A British businessman was kidnapped over the weekend in the center of Nigeria's main commercial hub of Lagos, the Associated Press cited Nigerian police as saying on Tuesday.
Police spokesman Frank Mba told the AP that the victim was believed to have been taken hostage as he departed from a nightclub on ritzy Victoria Island late Saturday.
Abductions are not uncommon in Nigeria but this is a rare occurrence in the country's busy commercial capital, home to 17.5 million people, the AP noted.
Mba told reporters: “Lagos does not have a reputation for kidnappings and we want to keep it that way.”
A representative of the British High Commission confirmed to Reuters that an expatriate had been taken hostage but declined to provide further details.
Britain’s Foreign Office released a statement on Tuesday saying “there is no indication of terrorist involvement at this stage."