Nine kidnapped oil workers have escaped in Nigeria’s southern Niger Delta, a senior manager from Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) said on Thursday.
The workers are currently receiving medical treatment at the company’s hospital in Port Harcourt, said the manager who refused to be named, adding that they were severely beaten by the militants.
Nearly 50 people were taken hostage on Monday when local militants besieged a NAOC oil platform in oil-rich southern Nigeria.
Tension in southern Nigeria has been strained in recent months as local communities accuse foreign oil companies of reneging on promises to provide jobs and social amenities.
Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer and the sixth largest oil exporter in the world with a daily crude oil output of 2.6 million barrels.