Four Nigerian soldiers and two civilians were killed and two South Korean employees were kidnapped by gunmen who ambushed them in southern Nigeria, police said on Wednesday.
The attack occurred on a road in Rivers State on Tuesday morning.
Kidnapping for ransom is common in Nigeria, where criminal groups sometimes target foreigners, particularly those who work in mines and construction sites far from urban areas.
“The attackers attacked a convoy of vehicles with two Daewoo workers at around 9:30 a.m. “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 they escaped,” including taking the soldiers' weapons, added the official, who did not want to be named.
Rivers State Police spokesperson, Grace Iringe Koko, confirmed the attack. “We are investigating the matter and will provide details later,” she told AFP.
When contacted by AFP, the army and Deawoo were not immediately available to comment on the attack.
Several Asian companies, particularly Chinese and South Korean, operate in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, where they are particularly involved in road and railway construction projects.
Foreign workers kidnapped in Nigeria in the past were often released after paying a ransom to their captors.