22nd December, 2012
Four South Korean workers who were kidnapped earlier this week in Bayelsa state, south of Nigeria have been released unharmed, a Korean foreign ministry spokesman said Saturday.
The four workers from South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries, were abducted by armed men Monday while working at a construction site in the state of Bayelsa.
They were freed unharmed late Friday, the South Korean foreign ministry spokesman said.
Two Nigerian co-workers were kidnapped alongside the South Koreans, with one apparently released soon after the incident, according to Hyundai. There was no information on whether the other Nigerian was also set free Friday.
It is not known if a ransom was paid.
Gangs looking for ransom money have frequently abducted expatriates working in the oil-producing Niger Delta.
In Northern Nigeria, a French citizen was abducted by a 30 man armed gang in the village of Rimi, Katsina state on Wednesday. French authorities believed the gang has links with Al-Qaeda.