PARIS (AFP) - A French priest was kidnapped overnight in the north of Cameroon near the border with Nigeria, the French Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Father Georges Vandenbeusch was abducted near the town of Koza, about 30km from Nigeria, a statement said, adding: "We are working with the Cameroonian authorities to secure his release."

The ministry said it had designated the area, from where seven members of a French family were kidnapped by Islamist militants in February and held hostage for two months, as a dangerous zone.

Although it had put out a travel advisory, "Father Georges chose to remain in his parish to carry out his work", the statement said.