Port Harcourt, Nigeria – Gunmen released five Nigerians hostages on Tuesday, six days after they had been seized in the restive southern oil region, said a military official.
Major Sagir Musa did not say whether a ransom was paid for the men, seized from a construction company vessel. A government security official had said last week that ransom had been demanded.
Kidnappings are common in the Delta region. Although gangs originally targeted foreign oil workers, local gangs have recently begun seizing Nigerians after many multinationals pulled out foreign staff.
Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil producer and the fifth-largest supplier of crude to the United States, but remains plagued by poverty, corruption and crime.