A Chinese national abducted in Nigeria's northwestern state of Kaduna on Monday has been rescued by security operatives, less than 24 hours after he was held by gunmen, local police said on Tuesday.
The Chinese is an engineering worker of Chinese construction firm CGCOC Group with the surname Zhang.
Confirming his rescue, Yakubu Sabo, a police spokesman in Kaduna, said one of the suspected abductors had been arrested and already identified as Paul Ochalla.
CGCOC also confirmed the incident to Xinhua on Tuesday. The company said it had trained staff to deal with robbery as precaution.
Zhang was on his way to a site, together with a local driver, when the gunmen abducted him in Zaria, a major city in Kaduna State, according to police.
A preliminary investigation by local police had revealed that the suspected kidnapper once worked on the site where the Chinese worker headed to before his abduction.
The police said the suspect was dismissed last year from the site due to "his dubious acts."
Further investigation into the kidnap was underway, the police added.
Abduction, usually for ransom, is not uncommon in Nigeria.
