By Jill Reilly and Mail Foreign Service PUBLISHED: 12:11 EST, 18 March 2013 | UPDATED: 17:20 EST, 18 March 2013 Some of the seven hostages believed to have been killed by militant Islamists in Nigeria might still be alive, the country’s president said yesterday. Goodluck Jonathan added that his government has been working to rescue any survivors among the foreign construction workers kidnapped in February. Islamist group Ansaru said earlier this month that it had killed the seven. Italy and Greece confirmed that a Briton, an Italian, a Greek and four Lebanese abducted in northern Nigeria’s Bauchi state had been killed by their captors.
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Nigeria's President: The government has been working to rescue them
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William Hague described killings as 'act of cold-blooded murder'
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Blamed execution on fears Britain was about to stage rescue operation
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Hostages were seized on February 16 from a construction company
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Foreign Office are looking into today's claims
hostages were killed after @placeholder warplanes were reported to have been