Portuguese kidnap victim dies in captivity in Nigeria

A Portuguese civil engineer kidnapped in Nigeria in October has died in captivity. The Nigerian Foreign Ministry on Friday confirmed the death of Jose Machada who was kidnapped on 24 October in Kogi State. Details of his death have not been revealed. A report on the Street Journal site notes that Machada was inspecting a road construction project at the time. Two police officers assigned to protect him were killed by the kidnappers. Kidnappings for ransom have become frequent, with expatriates being the prime targets in the oil-producing south-east Delta region.