Four Australians and a new Zealander have been reportedly kidnapped on the outskirts of Calabar, Nigeria, early Wednesday at about 5.30am, local time. The gunmen attacked the foreigners in a car, and killed their driver at gunpoint.
According to the Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is working to get more details on the kidnapped Australians who were reported to be working for a mining company in Nigeria. Julie said;
The government is in close contact with the Nigerian government, which is taking the matter extremely seriously
There have been confusion of the nationalities of those kidnapped, but two of the contractors that later escaped were working as contractors for Lafarge company. The nationalities of the two that flee away from the kidnappers is yet unknown, Cross River police spokeswoman Irene Ugbo said in a statement.
Another spokesperson also said that a South African and another was also abducted by the gunmen.
Speaking on the incident, Lafarge Africa spokeswoman Viola Graham-Douglas said that it was informed of the incident by an Australian contractor, Macmahon.
Macmahon is working with the security agencies to resolve this situation.
Police are working that the men are all released unharmed by the gunmen.