Captured sailors released

Six sailors, including a Russian captain and mechanic kidnapped in Nigeria on July 4, have been released.

According to the Russian ambassador to the country, the sailors were released on July 21. They are now in safe hands and will head home after a medical examination in Lagos.

At the beginning of July, armed men boarded the vessel “Sichem Peace” 18 miles off the coast, captured a part of the crew and took them away.

Shortly after there were reports that a militant group called the “Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta” was behind the kidnapping.

The Russian Ambassador to Nigeria says there was no use of force during the release of the hostages. It is not yet clear whether there was any ransom paid.