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Two foreigners, believed to be Asians, and an Nigerian were kidnapped this weekend in southeastern Nigerian state of Anambra, the first such incident in that region, a government spokesman said on Monday.

The men were taken from their factory at Nnewi together with a Nigerian worker, spokesman Mike Udah said.

"We cannot say exactly where they come from. They are either Chinese or Koreans," he said. No one had been hurt during the abduction, he added.

State governor Peter Obi had already contacted the security agencies with a view to securing the release of the men.

"We still don't know the motives behind the abduction because this is the first such incident here. But this is an act of criminality which we totally condemn," he said.

The past year has seen an upsurge in kidnappings of foreigners, especially oil workers, by armed groups who say they are seeking a larger share of Nigeria's oil wealth for the residents of the volatile oil-rich Niger delta.

This year alone 58 foreigners have been abducted, but apart from the victims of this weekend's abduction all of them have since been released -- the latest being a Frenchman freed on Friday.

The most vocal of the armed groups, the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) has vowed further attacks on Nigeria's oil industry unless their political demands were met.