Ethnic militants free kidnapped oil workers

Armed ethnic Ijaw militants have freed seven foreign oil workers who were kidnapped last week in Nigeria’s volatile Niger Delta, their employer said on Monday. The militants initially demanded a US $36,000 ransom for the seven men, who were employed by the Scotland-based pipeline coating company, Bredero Shaw. But the company said that in the end no money was paid to secure the release of its employees, who were seized on Thursday while testing a platform evacuation boat near the oil town of Warri. Bredero Shaw said one Briton, one Australian, one Russian, two Colombians and two Dutchmen had been taken hostage and subsequently released. "We are delighted for the families who have been through a stressful ordeal,” the company said in a statement. A spokesman for the Nigerian Navy confirmed the release of the hostages, which he said was negotiated by Ijaw community leaders. “We’re glad it ended peacefully,” he said. The navy spokesman also noted that no ransom had been paid. The first of the kidnapped oil workers was freed on Friday with a ransom note demanding five million naira (US $36,000). Another was released on Saturday and Bredero Shaw said the remaining five were freed on Sunday. The seizure of oil workers for ransom and to demand the settlement of local grievances has become commonplace in the oil-rich Niger Delta. Despite the wealth generated by the two million barrels of oil pumped out everyday by multinational oil companies in the region, its inhabitants remain poor. There is widespread resentment against the Nigerian government and the oil companies, who are accused by local people of polluting their land and leaving them in poverty. The situation is complicated by rivalry between different ethnic groups within the Niger delta, which often leads to fighting between them. This latest kidnapping incident is the fourth in the past two weeks involving oil workers. Three of them ended peacefully with the release of all the hostages. But the navy last week stormed two offshore oil platforms in the Atlantic Ocean operated by ChevronTexaco to free 18 hostages seized by another set of Ijaw militants. One Ijaw militant was killed and one hostage was wounded in that operation. Apart from money, the militants frequently demand jobs for their communities and the provision of local amenities such as schools, hospitals and roads.