The six foreign sailors who were abducted by suspected pirates in Bayelsa State, in Nigeria's oil producing Niger Delta region on 17 Feb, have been freed unharmed, the police said Tuesday.
The six - three Ukrainians, two Indians and one Russian - were freed on Monday night, without the payment of ransom.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kingsley Omire, told journalists in Yenagoa, the state capital, that no ransom was paid to secure the release of the expatriates.
'The expatriates have been released. They were released in good condition and no ransom was paid to secure their freedom,' he said.
The foreigners were abducted when the bandits attacked their oil vessel, MV Armada Tuah 101, belonging to the Century Group of Companies, an oil servicing firm.
They had contacted the company and demanded 200 million naira (US$ 1.3 million) in ransom.
Kidnapping for ransom is very rampant in southern Nigeria.
Pana 27/02/2013