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Gunmen kill 2 policemen, abduct 2 Lebanese workers in SE Nigeria

Xinhua, June 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Two policemen have been killed and two Lebanese workers abducted by unknown gunmen in Nigeria's southeastern state of Bayelsa state, local police confirmed on Wednesday.

Bayelsa state police spokesperson, Astimin Butswat, told reporters in Yenagoa that the policemen were "attached to" Pache Construction Company, employer of the abductees.

The two abducted Lebanese had been identified as Sarki Abi Chmouli and Ibrahim Abi Pherem, he said.

Eye witnesses told Xinhua that the gunmen, numbering about eight, stormed the Onuegbum community at around 12:20 p.m. local time in two speed boats through the waterway.

So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack and abduction, and no ransom has been demanded.

"We have alerted the marine component of the Police, the Joint Task Force and the Navy," Butswat said.

Kidnappings for ransom are common in Nigeria with more than 500 people having suffered abduction in the oil-rich Niger Delta region since 2006. Endi