Arrests over Niger Delta killing

Nigerian police have arrested two people over the killing of a Belgian businessman near the city of Warri.

The man was shot dead overnight near the southern city in the heart of Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta region.

The regional police commissioner said the man's Nigerian girlfriend and his driver had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in his death.

The commissioner said it was suspected that the pair had hired hit-men to carry out the killing.

"The suspect[s], his Nigerian girlfriend and his driver have been arrested," Udom Ekpoudom said.

He said the death was not linked to a spate of kidnappings targeting foreign workers in the oil-rich region.

But a spokesman from the Belgian foreign affairs ministry in Brussels told Agence France Presse that the killing happened during a botched kidnap attempt when a gunshot hit the man.

Many Niger Delta residents live in poverty, and taking hostages for ransom has become increasingly common.