One man killed, Lebanese construction worker kidnapped in Nigerian city

KANO (Reuters) - Gunmen in Nigeria abducted a Lebanese construction worker and killed another man in the northern city of Kano on Tuesday morning, a police official said.

The attack and abduction in the country’s second-biggest city comes amid higher than usual security as Nigeria is in the middle of an election season.

“A Lebanese attached to Triacta construction company was attacked,” said Haruna Abdullahi, a police spokesman.

The unidentified gunmen also shot one man, Alphonsus Ahmed, who died on his way to hospital, and another, Abdullahi Mohammed, was injured by a bullet, the spokesman said. He added that police were combing the area looking for the suspects.

A Triacta official declined to comment.

Kidnappings are rampant in Nigeria, where both locals and foreigners are targeted — mostly for ransom.

A sluggish economy means the average Nigerian is getting poorer while the national security infrastructure is crumbling.

Kano is the economic heart of northern Nigeria, where many foreigners live and work.

Nigeria is concluding its gubernatorial elections, held last Saturday, though results are yet to be announced. Last month, voters re-elected Muhammadu Buhari for a second term as president.

He campaigned on pledges to fight corruption and renew infrastructure as well as reviving the economy and quelling violence including a decade-old Islamist insurgency in the northeast.

During elections, the presence of security forces is often high.