UK Girl, 3, Kidnapped in Nigeria

(Port Harcourt, Nigeria) Adding to the more than 100 foreigners kidnapped in the Niger Delta this year is the abduction of 3-year-old Margaret Hill, reported to be the daughter of an expatriate British worker.

Margaret was snatched by gunmen at 0730 (0630 GMT) on Thursday after they smashed a window of her car as it stood in traffic.

The kidnappers called Margaret's mother, Oluchi Hill, and demanded that her husband be provided in a swap for the toddler or they would "kill Margaret." Mrs. Hill said the gunmen have not contacted her since the initial demand.

The kidnapping occurred earlier today as Margaret was being taken to school in the city of Port Harcourt in the lawless southern oil region of Nigeria. Gunmen frequently take hostages for ransom but seldom target women and children. Ransoms are customarily paid out of unregulated security slush funds and are considered essential to doing business in the region.

The British Foreign Office has called for the "immediate safe release" of Margaret Hill.