LAGOS, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian military operating in oil-rich Niger Delta region has launched a manhunt for the leader of a gang that suspectedly kidnapped four Britons.
Rear Adm. Suleiman Apochi, Commander of the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), on Wednesday visited Enekorogha community where four British missionaries were kidnapped and one died later.
The commander, who described the abduction as an international embarrassment, urged the community to assist the security agencies to fish out the criminal.
The four British nationals who were providing free medical services to the community were abducted on Oct. 13. One died in the captors' den while others regained freedom weeks later.
Apochi said the incident would be a setback to the community and the neighboring ones that benefited from the free medical service.
"I want the youths of this community to brace up to their responsibility, find him and hand him (gang leader) over to us," he added.
The abduction of foreigners and high-profile individuals in Nigeria has been on the increase recently.
