Attack in southern Nigeria: 6 dead and 2 South Koreans kidnapped

Four Nigerian soldiers and two civilians were killed and two South Korean employees kidnapped by gunmen who ambushed them in southern Nigeria, the police announced on Wednesday.

The attack took place on Tuesday morning on a road in Rivers State.

Kidnappings for ransom are common in Nigeria, where criminal groups sometimes target foreigners, particularly those working in mines and construction sites far from urban areas.

"The assailants ambushed a convoy of vehicles carrying two Daewoo workers at around 9:30 am. Four soldiers escorting the Koreans and their two civilian drivers were killed in the attack," a senior state police official told AFP.

"The gunmen also kidnapped the two Koreans before fleeing," also taking the soldiers' weapons with them, added the officer, who did not wish to be named.

Rivers State Police spokeswoman Grace Iringe Koko confirmed the attack. "We are investigating the matter and will give details later," she told AFP.

Contacted by AFP, the army and the Deawoo company were not immediately available to comment on the attack.

Several Asian companies, notably Chinese and South Korean, operate in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, where they are involved in road and rail construction projects.

Foreign workers kidnapped in Nigeria in the past have often been released after paying ransom to their captors.