2 more foreigners kidnapped in Nigeria

Gunmen attacked an oil facility in restive southern Nigeria overnight and took two foreigners hostage, private security contractors said Monday.

Several speedboats full of gunmen attacked the facility on Calabar River late Sunday night, the two contractors said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media.

They said they had no information on the hostages' nationalities or employers. Local authorities were not immediately available for comment.

Sunday night's attack coincided with the release of British 3-year-old Margaret Hill, whose father works for an energy company. She was the first foreign child to be kidnapped in the restive Niger river delta region, which has seen about 150 foreigners seized this year.

Some hostages are taken by militant groups demanding a greater share of oil revenue and political rights for their impoverished region, a vast wetland the size of Scotland. Others are seized by criminal groups seeking large cash ransoms.

A series of kidnappings and bombings have cut production in Africa's largest oil exporter by about a quarter, helping drive up oil prices worldwide. Attacks have worsened since April's elections, which were widely condemned as fraudulent by international observers.

Despite producing tens of billions of dollars worth of crude every year, most of Nigeria remains mired in poverty. Berlin-based watchdog Transparency International rates Nigeria rates as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

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Associated Press writers Dulue Mbachu and Dan Udoh contributed to this report from Port Harcourt.