LAGOS (AFP) - Nigerian militants have released a child and two others pulled from their car and taken hostage last week in the southern oil city of Port Harcourt, a military spokesman said Sunday.
"The child, his nanny and driver were released unharmed on Saturday night," Major Musa Sagir told AFP.
He could not say if any ransom was paid for the release of the three people snatched from their car on Wednesday.
Rivers State police commissioner Felix Ogbaudu confirmed the release, but could not give details.
No group has claimed responsibility for the incident, the latest to hit Port Harcourt, the hub of Nigeria's multi-billion-dollar oil and gas industry in recent months.
The city is also the capital of the oil-rich but volatile Niger delta which has seen an upsurge in kidnappings of foreign and local workers in recent months, mainly in the oil industry.
The region is at the centre of a drawn-out confrontation between the government and militants who claim to be fighting for a larger share of the country's oil resources for local people.
A plethora of armed gangs out to take ransom money have also been carrying out abductions in the area.
On Saturday, gunmen kidnapped three Indians in the region, killing one civilian and injuring another.
This month alone more than 30 foreigners have been abducted in the Niger delta while more than 150 foreign workers have been kidnapped there since the start of last year.
The vast majority have been released unharmed, but several have been injured or killed by the Nigerian military in rescue attempts. Dozens of security officers have also lost their lives.
The unrest has reduced Nigeria's daily output of 2.6 million barrels by 25 percent as the country's major oil firms have substantially scaled down their operations in the volatile region.
Source : news.yahoo.com
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