LAGOS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian police on Tuesday confirmed a Briton was ambushed and kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Victoria Island of Lagos State late.
State police spokesperson Ngozi Braide told Xinhua that the man was abducted on Saturday in front of his home by unknown gunmen as he was returning from a late night function.
"We have set our dragnet and we will get the kidnappers and rescue the victim. The victim is a Briton and we are trying all efforts to ensure that the kidnappers are arrested and brought to book," she added.
She said security agencies have been deployed in all the nooks and crannies of the city and its environs in search of the abductors and the victim.
The U.S. Consulate on Monday said unidentified foreigner was kidnapped in southwestern Nigeria, adding that it broke the news to alert its citizens.
Kidnapping of expatriates is rare in Lagos, regarded as Nigeria's economic capital. But high-profile kidnappings and abduction of foreigners for ransom are rampant in the southern oil- rich states and most victims were released unharmed after payment of ransoms.
The Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram and another Islamist Ansaru sect have recently claimed responsibility for the abduction of some foreigners.
Chinese TV series gaining popularity overseas