British hostage rescued in Nigeria

A kidnapped Briton has been rescued by Nigerian police who tricked his captors.

Paul Abrahams, an oil company worker, was taken hostage on 27 July after leaving an expatriate drinking club in Warri, southern Nigeria.

His captors demanded a ransom equivalent of $117,400, but they released Mr Abrahams on Wednesday night after police told them he had to pick the money up himself.

The British High Commission and a source in the Nigerian police confirmed he was returned safe and well at 2000 GMT.

Jon Sharp, a spokesman for the British High Commission in Lagos, said on Wednesday: "Our consul this evening met Paul Abraham, who is alive and well.

"The incident in which he was involved is at an end."

'Capture imminent'

The police source said: "We said that the only way we could pay the ransom is by him coming personally to collect it for them.

"They fell for the bait...and dropped him somewhere to go and collect the ransom."

He said there was no ransom money and he remained confident the culprits would be caught.

Earlier, the British Foreign Office said it had sent a team of Scotland Yard officers to Nigeria to investigate the case.

Mr Abraham was employed by Sigma Ltd, an oil services company contracted to ChevronTexaco.

The kidnapping was the fourth reported case this month affecting oil firms operating in Nigeria's Niger Delta.