Gunmen kidnapped an Israeli expatriate from his home in Nigeria's oil hub of Port Harcourt, police and security officials said on Wednesday.
Police said four gunmen abducted the Israeli, believed to be a project manager with Israeli construction firm Gilmor Engineering Limited, late on Tuesday and fled by stealing his vehicle.
Rita Inoma-Abbey, spokeswoman for the Rivers state police, said the Israeli's driver had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the abduction. No group has claimed responsibility.
A spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry said it was doing all it could to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
More than 200 foreigners have been seized in the Niger Delta, the heart of the country's oil sector, since early 2006. Almost all have been released unharmed.
Insecurity in Nigeria, the world's eighth largest oil exporter, has cut crude output by around a fifth since militants launched a campaign of violence two years ago to press for greater development in their neglected communities.
Criminal gangs have taken advantage of the breakdown in law and order, frequently kidnapping businessmen, local politicians and foreign workers for ransom.
Nigeria's largest construction firm, Julius Berger, suspended operations in the delta last month after two of its employees were kidnapped. The hostages have since been released, but the company has yet to resume its work in the area, Reuters reported.