British oil worker kidnapped in southern Nigeria

Gunmen have kidnapped a British oil worker in southern Nigeria as well as killed a police officer and injured another, a security source said Monday.

Assailants kidnapped the worker, who works for Nigerian oil services company Adamac Industries Limited, from a hotel bar in the Nigerian oil hub of Port Harcourt on Sunday night, the source said on condition of anonymity.

A police officer working with an escort unit was killed in the incident and another officer was injured, according to the source.

The past three years have seen an upsurge in militant activities in the region with frequent attacks on foreign oil companies and a wave of kidnappings of expatriate employees.

Most hostages are released unharmed after a few days or weeks, often after a ransom is paid.

The militant groups -- the most prominent among them is the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta -- often claim to be acting on behalf of the impoverished local population in fighting for a fairer share of the oil wealth.

Unrest in the Niger Delta has cost Nigeria its position as Africa's leading crude exporter. Its oil output has fallen by about a quarter since 2006.