Lebanese killed, police attacked in Nigerian delta

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, July 20 (Reuters) Suspected armed robbers shot dead a Lebanese businessman in the southern Nigerian city of Port Harcourt in the oil-producing Niger Delta, the local police commissioner said today.

Felix Ogbaudu said the robbers locked a security guard inside his post and entered the Lebanese man's house, took some of his belongings and shot him dead. The incident happened at about 3 am (0730 IST) today.

In a separate incident a few hours later, gunmen tried to attack the Elekahia police station and two policemen were wounded in a gunfight, Ogbaudu said. The gunmen escaped.

Militant sources in Port Harcourt said five policemen were killed in the foiled attack, though this could not be confirmed by the authorities.

Ogbaudu said armed robberies were commonplace in the part of the city where the Lebanese man was killed, but it was unclear why the attackers had shot him. No one else was harmed.

The victim had a private furniture-making business.

Kidnappings of foreigners are frequent in the delta and many abductions have taken place in Port Harcourt, but it is unusual for expatriates to get killed.

Port Harcourt is the main city in the delta. It has become increasingly dangerous since early 2006, when militants demanding control over oil revenues stepped up a campaign of attacks on the oil industry.

The militants have attacked oil facilities and kidnapped oil workers, cutting Nigeria's exports by about a fifth and prompting thousands of expatriate workers and their relatives to leave the region.

But numerous criminal gangs have used the unrest as a cover to abduct foreigners for ransom or carry out armed robberies. The delta, including Port Harcourt, is also plagued by violent youth gangs called ''cults'' who often clash for reasons that usually remain obscure.

REUTERS CS BD1643