American Woman Kidnapped Nigeria - An American woman working as a Christian missionary in central Nigeria has been kidnapped by gunmen.

"Early this morning we received a report that Rev. Phyllis Sortor, our missionary in Nigeria, was abducted from the Hope Academy compound in Emiworo, Kogi State, Nigeria by several persons," the church said in a statement.

According to AFP reports,the incident happened around 10 am, Monday, when masked men wielding guns raided the Hope Academy, a school Sortor and her church built in Emiworo, a largely Muslim village.

The kidnappers came into the "school premises shooting sporadically to scare away people before taking [the hostage] away into the bush" a Kogi State police spokesman said.

"We are hopeful of finding her. Our suspicion is that she was picked up for ransom," he said.

The State Department and the FBI are collaborating with local police to locate the American hostage.

Sortor, who had been working in Africa as a missionary for the past 10 years, may have been facing opposition from local leaders after she built a Christian school in the Muslim dominated town, which located in the Northern part of the country.

"She's had a lot of opposition," said friend Judy O'Brien, who attended Seattle Pacific University with Sortor.

On Monday night, Sorter's family and friends gathered to pray for her safe return at the Seattle Pacific University.

Richard Sortor, her stepson, described the news as 'surreal,' adding that Sorter was doing good for people.

"They're over there doing good for other people and this happens," he said.

Nigeria has in recent years been faced with a rise in kidnapping. The crime is reported to be very lucrative, providing millions of dollars yearly.

Kidnappers mainly target expatriates, particularly those residing in the south and central Nigeria. Kogi state, where Sorter was kidnapped, has recorded low level of activity by Islamist militants linked to terror group Boko Haram.