Kidnapped Lebanese Factory Owner Freed in Nigeria

A Lebanese factory owner who was kidnapped by gunmen in the north Nigerian city of Kano has been freed after a search, police said on Friday.

Police spokesman Magaji Musa Majia said that officers found Hassan Zein, the owner of the MC Plastics facility, around 0800 GMT on the outskirts of the city.

He was unhurt and has been reunited with his family, Majia added in an emailed statement.

"No arrest has been made yet. (The) investigation is in top gear with a view to arresting the fleeing perpetrators," he said.

Zein was abducted in the Sharada industrial area of Kano on Monday, prompting police to block exits from the city to ensure the kidnappers could not escape.

Five assailants stormed the factory compound and seized Zein as he got out of his car in the car park, witnesses said.

Shots were fired into the air, sending workers rushing inside for safety. A security guard and a female employee were shot and wounded.

Kidnappings for ransom are common in Nigeria, with scores of foreigners, include those from the sizable Lebanese community, targeted every year.