All seven foreign hostages released in Nigeria

All seven foreign oil workers held hostage in Nigeria's southern oil-rich Niger Delta have been released, police said on Saturday.

According to the police, the workers, four British, one Romanian, one Malaysian and one Indonesian, have been taken to Port Harcourt where they will be released to their respective companies.

A spokesman for Exxon Mobil also confirmed their release and said it was "good news" for the company.

It is not immediately known whether or not a ransom has been paid to ensure the release.

The workers were kidnapped on Oct. 3 when 18 gunmen stormed in a bar inside a residential compound for expatriate contractors working for U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil. Two Nigerian security guards were killed in the incident.

The incident heightened the threat of abduction on the region's oil industry as this was reportedly the first time kidnappers had taken expatriates from within a residential compound, which is usually heavily guarded.

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has visited the restive region twice this month and called a crisis meeting with top security officials.

Tensions in the Niger Delta have flared in recent months as communities of the oil-rich delta accuse foreign oil companies of reneging on promises to provide jobs and social amenities.

Since the beginning of this month, more than 30 oil workers have been kidnapped and 14 government soldiers killed in the region during firefights between the militants and government troops.

Source: Xinhua