Jos , Nigeria ( CNN ) -- Seven foreign workers were kidnapped late Saturday from a construction company in northeastern Nigeria , police said . The workers include one Italian citizen , one Greek citizen and two Lebanese citizens , according to those governments . Nigerian police said a Briton was also kidnapped ; British authorities said they were aware of such reports and were making inquiries . Who are Boko Haram ? The workers were taken Saturday night from the offices of Setraco , a construction company in Jama'are , in Bauchi State , police said . The company is based in Abuja and is involved in many major road construction projects in northern Nigeria . The gunmen first attacked a prison , burning two police trucks , public service broadcaster Voice of Nigeria reported , citing state police spokesman Hassan Muhammed . Opinion : Nigerians still waiting for their 'African Spring ' They then killed a guard at the Setraco workers camp before kidnapping the workers , Muhammed told the broadcaster . Nigeria has seen a rash of killings and kidnappings blamed on criminal groups or the Islamist militant group Boko Haram . A week ago , three North Korean doctors were killed at a hospital in northern Yobe state , the state police chief told CNN . Ten suspects were arrested . Earlier this month , nine people working for a government polio vaccination program were killed in the northern city of Kano , a police spokesman said . Opinion : Nigeria is a sinking ship , but we must not desert it . Nigeria launched a military crackdown on Boko Haram on New Year 's Day . Security forces have since captured one of the group 's leaders and killed 17 suspected Boko Haram members in a two-day offensive . Human Rights Watch says Boko Haram -- whose name means `` Western education is sacrilege '' -- has killed more than 2,800 people in an escalating campaign to impose strict Islamic law on largely Muslim northern Nigeria . Opinion : Why are Nigerians numb to slaughter ? In the past , the group attacked other Muslims it felt were on an immoral path . But it has increasingly targeted Christians with numerous attacks on churches , as well as striking police stations . Boko Haram and other Muslim groups say the north has been starved of resources and marginalized by the Nigerian government . But the U.S. State Department has accused its leaders of having ties to the al Qaeda terrorist network and of hoping to drive a wedge between Nigeria 's Christian and Muslim communities .
The foreigners work for a construction firm in northern Nigeria , police say . The victims are from Italy , Greece , Lebanon and possibly Britain . Nigeria has seen a rash of killings and kidnappings . Violence is blamed on criminal groups or the Islamist militant group Boko Haram .