A German man was released unharmed late on Tuesday in the Niger Delta in Nigeria, about 12 hours after he was seized by unknown gunmen who killed a driver and two soldiers, a source at his company said on Wednesday.
The source at Julius Berger, a German-Nigerian construction group, said no ransom was paid for the German hostage and his release was due to fast work by the Nigerian security services.
The German was the first foreigner abducted since October in the Niger Delta, where over 200 expatriates have been seized by militants and ransom seekers since early 2006. Almost all of them were released unharmed.
It was not yet clear whether Tuesday’s abduction was an isolated incident or whether it marked a return to greater insecurity for foreigners in the delta.
The German was seized along a road leading out of Port Harcourt, the delta’s main city, near Emuoha where Julius Berger is upgrading the road. The attackers shot dead a driver and two soldiers who were escorting the German, and a third soldier was injured, according to security sources. – Reuters