WASHINGTON (Reuters)—At least four Nigerians were killed in an attack on a convoy of two U.S. government vehicles in Nigeria on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, adding that the attack did not appear to be directed at the U.S. mission there.
In a statement on Wednesday, Blinken said the U.S. mission and its Nigerian counterparts were working to ascertain the location and condition of those unaccounted for. In all, there were nine Nigerian nationals in the convoy, he said.
The convoy was carrying five employees of the U.S. mission to Nigeria and four members of the Nigeria Police Force. They were traveling in advance of a planned visit by U.S. mission personnel to a U.S.-funded flood response project in Nigeria's Anambra state, Blinken said.
"We condemn in the strongest terms this attack, Blinken said. "We will work closely with our Nigerian law enforcement colleagues in seeking to bring those responsible to justice.
"The United States has no greater priority than the safety and security of our personnel," he said. "We express our heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed in the attack, and pledge to do everything possible to safely recover those who remain missing."
(Reporting by Paul Grant; editing by Tim Ahmann and Leslie Adler)