Kidnap Radio

KANO, Nigeria — European diplomats said Sunday that seven foreign hostages kidnapped in northern Nigeria had been killed as claimed by Islamic extremists, the worst such foreign abduction violence to hit this turbulent West African nation in decades. Both Britain and Italy said all seven of those taken from northern Bauchi state on Feb. 16 were killed by the group known as Ansaru. Greece also confirmed one of its citizens was killed, while Lebanese authorities did not immediately comment.

(SIRBERUS)

Gunmen attacked a camp for a construction company in rural northern Nigeria, killing a guard and kidnapping seven foreign workers from Britain, Greece, Italy, Lebanon and the Philippines, authorities said Sunday, in the biggest kidnapping yet in a region under attack by Islamic extremists. The attack Saturday night happened in Jama’are, a town in Bauchi state. There, the gunmen first attacked a local prison, burning two police trucks, Bauchi state police spokesman Hassan Muhammed told The Associated Press.

Filed under: Insurance, Weird & Wonderful

ALGIERS, Algeria — Islamist militants from Mali attacked a natural gas field partly operated by BP in southern Algeria early Wednesday, killing a security guard, according to local media, and kidnapping at least eight foreigners, an Algerian official said. Seven others were wounded in the attack, including two foreigners, added the state news agency. Ireland has announced that one of the hostages is Irish.

Maybe they should change that to “DRIVE THRU BREAK FREE”?

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped at least 23 employees of a subcontractor for Canada's Talisman Energy in eastern Colombia, according to a spokesperson for the oil firm.Tomas Rueda told RCN radio that the oil workers were all local hires."Twenty-three people working for one of our subcontractors have been kidnapped," he said, detailing the first mass kidnapping of civilians since President Juan Manuel Santos took office seven months ago.