Gunmen kidnap Americans, Canadians in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria—Gunmen kidnapped two Americans and two Canadians during an ambush Tuesday in Nigeria’s Kaduna state, a police spokesman confirmed. Mukhtar Aliyu said the gunmen attacked the group as it traveled from Kaduna to the capital city of Abuja at about 7 p.m. “They engaged in a fierce gun battle with the police escorts attached to the expatriates,” Aliyu said, adding the officers died. The group had traveled to Kaduna to set up solar stations in villages around the southern city of Kafanchan. Aliya said security officials, including an anti-kidnapping unit, are working to rescue them. The U.S. State Department and the Canadian Global Affairs Office say they are aware of the situation. Kidnappings are common in Nigeria, and attackers usually return their captives in exchange for a ransom payment. In October, gunmen in the southern Delta state released three hostages and killed the fourth after they received a ransom. The group worked as medical missionaries with U.K.-based New Foundations.