Nigerian gunmen released a group of foreign workers on Sunday, two days after attacking their cargo vessels in the oil-producing Niger Delta, security officials said. Seven Russians, two Ukrainians, two Germans and a Lithuanian were taken on Friday near Bonny in the southern Rivers state. A Latvian worker was injured in the attack, but was not taken by the gunmen.
"The 12 European seamen who were abducted off BBC Palonia (and another vessel) by gunmen on July 2 have just been freed by their captors," said a security official, who wished not to be identified.
A navy spokesman could not confirm the whole group had been released, but said "something like that is on at the moment".
Kidnappings for ransom are common in the Niger Delta, home to Africa's biggest oil and gas industry, with hundreds of incidents reported each year. Most victims are released unharmed. Foreign firms, in businesses ranging from oil to construction to telecoms, spend millions of dollars a year on security for their staff because of the high crime rate in the Niger Delta.
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