By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Six sailors including two Russians, abducted from a chemical tanker on July 4 in Nigeria and freed on July 21, are in good health, the Russian ambassador to Nigeria, Alexander Polyakov said on Wednesday.
The Sichem Peace was attacked by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) some 18 miles from Escravos in Nigeria. The militants seized six of the 19 crew members on board the ship.
Earlier it was reported two Russians had been freed.
“All six hostages have been freed. Judging by our telephone conversation they are exhausted and frayed but feeling well,” Polyakov said.
In addition to the two Russians, the Nigerian militants abducted a Ukrainian, two Filipinos and an Indian.
Abductions of foreigners are common in the West African state, particularly in the oil-rich Niger Delta. Militants often demand ransoms in addition to political declarations, and also carry out acts of sabotage on foreign facilities operating in the region.