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The British national seized by a five-strong gang in Port Harcourt has been released unharmed. A Foreign Office spokesperson said the man, as yet unidentified but believed to be originally from Aberdeen and a former employee of the Indo Rama petrochemicals firm had been released early on October 4. Reports suggest no ransom was paid to secure his release.
The spokesperson said: "We can confirm that a British man was released on Saturday and is safe and well. He was kidnapped on 15 September at Port Harcourt. We are not able to speculate on who might have been behind it. Nigerian authorities were taking the lead in the investigation and our staff were in touch with them."
The kidnapping coincided with a statement released last month by the rebel group Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which "declared war" on the Nigerian oil industry. MEND causes severe disruption to the oil industry by attacking oil installations and pipelines, claiming to be fighting for greater distribution of profits generated by oil production in the impoverished region, although opponents claim the militants profit from trade in stolen oil and criminal rackets.
Insecurity in the region has cut crude output by around twenty percent since MEND launched its campaign of sabotage in 2006. Gangs have taken advantage of the breakdown in law and order, kidnapping foreign workers, businessmen and local politicians for ransom. Over 200 foreign workers have been seized in the Niger Delta, the heart of Nigeria's oil sector, since the troubles began, although almost all have been released unharmed.
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