Former Cambridge GP and wife kidnapped by gunmen in Nigeria

A Cambridge doctor and his wife are two of four Britons to have been captured by a suspected militant group

A former GP from Cambridge and his wife have been kidnapped in Nigeria's southern Delta state.

They were identified by The Times as two of four people taken from their accommodation last Friday (October 13).
The group of four are British missionaries, and had been providing "free medical care and religious activities" in the Burutu area of Delta state, according to police chief of the local Enukorowa community, Theo Fakama.

Police believe the missionaries have been kidnapped by a militant group renowned for demanding ransoms, and are attempting to rescue them, the Daily Mail reports.
The couple, both 57, run a charity which provides medical care to remote villages.
The Times also reported that two other victims had been kidnapped.

Police chief Fakama said locals were "saddened" by the kidnapping as the victims had "brought succour to residents of the community for the past three years".
Kidnapping for ransom is a common problem in parts of Nigeria.
In the last few years, several foreigners have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta region, which holds most of the country's crude oil - the country's economic mainstay.
Local police say the abductors have not made any contact, but they are "investigating their motive" and hope to "rescue them without jeopardising their lives".
They also said "unfortunately, they didn't let the authorities know of their presence in the area all this while".
A militant group has been operating in the area and police believe they are the ones behind the abduction.

CAMBRIDGE NEWS