Nigerian Ambassador Says Case of Abducted Lebanese 'Delicate'

Nigeria's Ambassador Amos Oluwole Idowu stressed on Wednesday that the his country is following up the case of the abducted two Lebanese nationals in the Nigerian town of Jama'are in Bauchi State.

“The case is linked to the security situation and is very delicate,” the ambassador told As Safir newspaper.

He pointed out that the Nigerian authorities are following up the case on high levels.

Imad al-Indari and Carlos Bou Aziz, two Lebanese expats, were kidnapped along with five other foreigners in Nigeria on February 16, 2013 from Setraco Nigeria, a construction and civil engineering company with a road project in the region, which is a subsidiary of Lebanese-owned Setraco International Holding group.

The Lebanese foreign ministry confirmed the incident.

Kidnappings for ransom are common in Nigeria, but most have occurred in its oil-rich southern delta. Lagos, a city of 17.5 million inhabitants, is in the country's southwest.

In recent years, Nigeria has had a spate of ransom kidnappings, which usually last for a few days and which have focused on the country's oil-rich region.

However, Nigeria's north has also started to see politically-motivated kidnappings which typically last much longer. Kidnappings there have been linked to Islamic extremist groups rather than criminal gangs.

Islamist extremist group Ansaru recently claimed to have executed seven foreign hostages, including two Lebanese.

But its claim could not be verified.