Driver shot as Briton is kidnapped in Nigeria

A BRITISH man has been kidnapped in Nigeria, it was reported yesterday. He was captured shortly after leaving the international terminal of Lagos airport.

It is understood a number of armed men surrounded a four-wheel drive car moments after it left the airport.

The Nigerian driver was shot in the incident and is being treated in hospital.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said it was working with authorities in Nigeria.

The spokesman said: “We are aware of reports of a missing person and are liaising with 
Nigerian authorities.”

A number of major companies with British connections operate in Nigeria, including Royal Dutch Shell, British Airways, Unilever and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Hostage-taking is not uncommon in the country. Most are released unharmed after ransoms have been paid, though people have been injured and killed.

Risk analysts Drum Cussac have reported “a noticeable upsurge” in the number of kidnappings in the south-west of Nigeria, including Lagos.

A spokesman said: “Foreign nationals were targeted in the affluent Lagos areas, sparking speculation that organised criminal gangs have renewed their focus on the city’s upscale districts, given their relatively permissive security environments.”