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Youths free 64 oil workers

Militant youths in Nigeria's troubled south-east have release 64 oil workers taken hostage two days ago, news reports said on Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the giant Royal Dutch/Shell oil company said in London that all the employees were unharmed. Seven of the hostages were expatriates and the rest Nigerian. They were seized on their drilling rigs by ethnic Isoko youths in Ozoro and Ovrode communities demanding money and amenities for the local population, Reuters reported. Shell, which produces half Nigeria's 1.9 million barrels of crude each day, has cut back output by one-quarter because of the insecurity, Reuters said.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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