4 US Citizens Seized in Nigeria

Gunmen seized four US oil workers in southern Nigeria, adding to a list of dozens of foreigners taken hostage in recent weeks, officials said Wednesday.

"The US consul general in Lagos can confirm four US nationals were kidnapped," a US diplomat told Agence France-Presse.

US Embassy sources had previously been able to confirm only that three out of the four were Americans.

The men were on a construction vessel off the oil-rich southern coast, the DLB Cheyenne, which was attacked late Tuesday by almost 40 gunmen on six small boats, an industry source said. Nigerian military personnel fought the attackers but could not stop the abductions.

It added that all of Global's vessels and crews in the region have been relocated.

"We are taking all actions to secure the safe and speedy return of the employees involved in this incident and to safeguard our workforce in the region," Global's chief executive officer B.K. Chin said in the statement.