Negotiations underway to free kidnapped Nigerian children

Gunmen who hijacked a school bus and kidnapped 15 children in Nigeria were negotiating with the school's owner, as nearby local banks and shops remained closed Wednesday, police said.

"The kidnappers are relating with the proprietor of the school and we are hopeful for a good outcome," Abia State police spokesman Geofrey Ogbonna said. "We are intensifying our efforts to set free the 15 children."

Ogbonna did not give details on the talks with the kidnappers or police efforts to track them down following Monday's hijacking in Nigeria's oil-rich south.

The abductors demanded a ransom of 20 million naira ($128,900).

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday called the incident "utterly callous and cruel" and pledged government action to free the victims.

Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta region has seen scores of kidnappings in recent years, often by criminal gangs seeking ransom payments but also by militants demanding a fairer distribution of oil revenue.

At first, most kidnappings involved foreign oil workers, but more recently the attack-ers have also targeted the children and relatives of wealthy Nigerians.

AFP