Nigerian kidnappers have demanded 10 million naira (€57,000) for a three-year-old boy they snatched on his way to school in the Niger Delta.
Police have named the boy as Francis Samuel Amadi, the son of a traditional ruler in the community of Iriebe on the outskirts of Port Harcourt, the delta's main city.
The boy attends a private school in Port Harcourt and he was being taken there by the family driver when the kidnappers blocked the car with their own and snatched him.
Abductions for ransom are commonplace in the Niger Delta, but children were rarely targeted until the past month, which saw three child kidnappings.
The boy's abduction yesterday came four days after a British girl of the same age was released by her kidnappers in the same area.
On Sunday night, kidnappers released Margaret Hill (3) unharmed after four days in captivity. Gunmen had abducted the toddler on July 5th from the car in which she was being driven to school in Port Harcourt.
The girl's family said no money had been paid.
About 200 adult expatriates have been seized in the Niger Delta since the start of 2006, and most of them have been released unharmed in exchange for money. At least 11 foreign hostages are still being held by various armed groups in the delta.
Some rebel groups have kidnapped oil workers and attacked oil facilities in an increasingly violent campaign for "resource control". Nigeria's oil output is down by more than 20 per cent because of these attacks.