The Nigerian Army has joined the hunt for two Americans and two Canadians who were kidnapped in an ambush, a military source told AFP on Thursday.
The foreigners were kidnapped on Tuesday evening in Kaduna state, shooting dead two of their Nigerian police escorts.
“We are on it and making some progress,” a military source said.
“We have a special team now that arrived from Abuja, they have now joined with the team that are here.”
The North Americans were on private business in the state and were kidnapped near Jere, the source added.
The US and Canadian foreign ministries both said they were aware of the kidnapping and were working with Nigerian authorities on recovering the hostages.
A State Department travel advisory urges US citizens to “reconsider” travelling to Nigeria, warning that “violent crime such as armed robbery, assault, carjacking, kidnapping and rape is common throughout the country.”
Many foreign missions and companies advised staff to limit their travel during the closure period, as all domestic and some international flights were switched to Kaduna.