Nigerian embassy raided in Pretoria

Police are heavily armed but gun crime is soaring

A gang of armed men has stolen cars, computers and televisions from the Nigerian embassy in Pretoria.

Members of the gang overpowered three security guards when they broke into the building.

The gang then held guards and an embassy official at gunpoint, while others "ransacked the offices", a police spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

A number of our homes have been broken into on a number of occasions, but the embassy was seen as a safe place

Stella Chuma Arah, Nigerian embassy

Before leaving the embassy, the men beat one of the guards in the face with a gun, the police said. He suffered minor injuries.

A special police team is now investigating the crime, Superintendent Mary Martins-Engelbrecht told BBC News Online.

This unit specialises in dealing with car-jackings and armed robberies.

No arrests have been made but the police say they are positive that leads they are following will produce results very soon.

Homes robbed

The embassy staff were shaken by the attack, according to embassy spokeswoman Stella Chuma Arah.

She said the embassy had officially reported the robbery to the South African Government.

Security guards often bear the brunt of armed attacks

"We always felt safe at the embassy. A number of our homes have been broken into on a number of occasions, but the embassy was seen as a safe place. It was a real shock," she told the Reuters news agency.

The South African police patrols streets around foreign diplomatic missions.

Superintendent Martins-Engelbrecht told the BBC that extra security was now being provided for the Nigerian embassy.

The last recorded embassy robbery was in 1999 when the embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo was burgled.