Five Filipino seamen kidnapped in Nigeria have been released by their captors, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.
All the crew members of MT Aveiro were freed on Oct. 8, four days after they were held off Nigeria's southern oil delta region, Philippine TV network GMA News reported, quoting Esteban Conejos, Undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
"All of the five are well and unharmed," said Conejos.
He said the Filipinos "are now in the care of the team from the Philippine Embassy in (Nigeria's capital of) Abuja" who would ensure the safe release of the seafarers.
"The Philippine government expresses its gratitude to the Nigerian government for the speedy resolution of the case," said Conejos.
In previous years, a number of Filipino workers have been kidnapped in the oil-rich Niger Delta region and were later freed upon alleged payment of ransom.
The Niger Delta, the main center of oil production in Nigeria, is a 74,000-square kilometer swathe of swamps, where more than 3,500 oil and gas installations are located.
Source:Xinhua
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