Nigeria's militant sect Ansaru said on Friday they have killed seven foreign hostages working with the Lebanese Setraco construction firm in northeastern state of Bauchi.

Ansaru, a splinter group from Nigeria's Boko Haram sect disclosed this in a statement issued late on Friday.

A Briton, a Greek, an Italian and four Lebanese were among seven people kidnapped by the sect on Feb. 17.

According to the statement, Ansaru claimed it killed the hostages because of attempts by Britain and Nigeria authorities to rescue them.

There have been no official confirmation from security agencies in the state, but a military source told Xinhua that the sect information might not be far from truth.

The killing came barely 24 hours after Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan visited northeastern Borno and Yobe States, centers of activities of members of the fundamental sect, Boko Haram, that have been responsible for bombings in northern part of the country.

President Jonathan spent Thursday night in Maiduguri, the epicenter of the insurgency. It was his first trip to the troubled area since assuming office.

The president had met with stakeholders in the state to discuss possible solutions to the crisis. Endi

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