4 Ghanian Kidnapped in Nigeria Released

LAGOS, - Ten oil workers of Royal/Dutch Shell held hostage on a boat in Nigeria for nearly a week have been freed unharmed by their captors, a senior company official said on Thursday.

He said the 10, one American, a filipino, four Ghanaians and four Nigerians, had been released following the intervention of officials of the regional government in the Niger Delta and the Navy. No violence was used he added.

"The vessel and the crew were released around 4:00 p.m. (1500 GMT)," said the official of Shell Emergency Respond Command, who asked not to be named.

"We are very pleased they were released through the government's intervention," the official told Reuters by telephone from Shell's regional centre in the oil city of Warri.

The Shell official said the freed oilworkers were expected to be in open waters soon.

Shell said on Wednesday that some 40 militants in eight boats seized the vessel, which services a rig in Shell's EA drilling project some 20 nautical miles off Warri.

The militants had taken the boat and the 10 crew to the nearby Dodo river where the vessel and the captives were last seen.

The youths describing themselves as members of the EA Host Community Forum, first invaded Shell's operations in the area two weeks ago but were driven off by the Navy.

The youths, from about nine local communities, were also demanding the release of one of their leaders being held by the Navy in Warri.

Multinational oil firms pumping oil from Nigeria's delta frequently come under attack from militants demanding a higher share of the oil wealth derived from their backyard.

However such actions have been generally on the decline in the past year since Nigeria put in place a special commission to look after the development of the Niger Delta.