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Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

NIGERIA: Youths free hostages, leave oil rig

LAGOS, 26 April (IRIN) - Militants in southern Nigeria have freed 43 oil
workers after holding them hostage for four days on an offshore oil rig,
ChevronTexaco, the US transnational for which the hostages worked, said on
Friday.

"The youths left the rig on Wednesday night and the hostages were freed
unharmed," a senior company official told IRIN.

Some 40 youths from the Ilaje community, to the west of the Niger Delta, had
boarded the rig on Sunday and held 88 foreign and Nigerian workers hostage
to press demands for jobs and amenities.

ChevronTexaco officials said the rig was about eight km offshore.

Following negotiations with ChevronTexaco officials and local leaders, 45 of
the hostages were allowed to leave on Tuesday. The rest were released on the
following day. Officials would not reveal details of the deal made with the
militants to end the stand-off.
[ENDS]

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