ABUJA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen opened fire on three policemen on guard at a construction site in northwest Nigeria early Wednesday and kidnapped a Syrian national, according to local police.
The Syrian national worked as manager of the construction site in a village located in Bodinga area of the northern state of Sokoto, the police said.
The cops died in a local hospital following the attack.
Local sources said the gunmen, numbering four, are yet to make any contact for ransom after taking the Syrian national to an unknown place.
Police spokeswoman Cordelia Nwawe said an investigation had been launched to track down the gunmen.
Abduction is common in Nigeria. The abduction of foreigners and high profile individuals in the country has been on the increase recently.
Last month, a Syrian national based in the northwestern city of Kano was killed, and his son kidnapped by unknown gunmen.
A policeman was also shot dead while trying to prevent gunmen from abducting a German construction engineer in Kano on April 16.
