Foreign hostage dies after release in Nigeria
LAGOS (AFP) - A foreign hostage died shortly after being released at the weekend in oil-rich southern Nigeria, a military officer said yesterday.
"He was abducted by militants. They demanded a ransom but no ransom was paid and a group of community leaders went to release him. He died before he could be taken to hospital for treatment," Major Omale Ochaguba of the Joint Task Force told AFP.
Five of the man's abductors had also been arrested at the weekend, he added.
The incident happened in or near the Bayelsa state capital Yenagoa.
It was not clear whether the man, whose nationality is unknown, had succumbed to illness or to injuries sustained while he was in captivity.
Politically motivated kidnappings have become less frequent since President Umaru Yar'Adua took office in late May. But kidnapping for ransom has continued unabated, with some criminal gangs no longer hesitating to kidnap even small children, which until very recently was unknown.
Around 200 foreigners, most of them oil workers, have been kidnapped in southern Nigeria since the start of 2006. Most have been released after a few days or a few weeks.
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