Romanian hostage freed in Nigeria

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A Romanian sailor kidnapped from a tanker off Nigeria's Niger Delta has been released, the military have said.

He was seized by militants from a vessel carrying 4,000 tonnes of diesel from Lagos to Port Harcourt.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said gunmen from an "affiliate group" were responsible and they would release him soon.

The militants blew up the engine of the tanker with dynamite, and it was said to have been "massively damaged".

Military task force spokesman Lt Col Sagir Musa did not give any details about Thursday's release.

The vessel was on the edge of the shipping lane protected by the military when it was attacked on Wednesday morning.

The stricken vessel is being brought into Port Harcourt for repairs, it is believed.

Violence has reduced oil production from Africa's biggest oil producer by about a fifth in recent years.