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Canadian 'still held' in Nigeria Canadian woman freed in Nigeria
(about 12 hours later)
A Canadian woman kidnapped over a week ago in northern Nigeria is still being held, officials say, hours after police said she had been released. A Canadian woman kidnapped two weeks ago in northern Nigeria has been released, Canadian officials have said.
Julie Mulligan, 45, was seized from a car by gunmen in Kaduna on 16 April. Julie Mulligan, 45, was on a cultural exchange with the charity Rotary International when she was seized from a car by gunmen in Kaduna on 16 April.
A police spokesman earlier told the BBC she was in the custody of the security services, but the police later said Mrs Mulligan had not been freed. A spokesman for the Canadian Foreign Ministry said she was healthy and with embassy officials.
A spokesman added that one of the gang who kidnapped Mrs Mulligan had been arrested and was in custody. On Wednesday, the police at first said she had been released, before later saying she was still being held.
"We are greatly relieved to confirm that Ms Mulligan has been released and is now safe with Canadian officials. We are making sure that she receives consular assistance and is able to be reunited with her family as soon as possible," Alain Cacchione, a spokesman with Canada's Foreign Affairs Department, said in an e-mailed statement.
'Keystone kidnappers?'
Details about her release are sketchy, but a Rotary International source told the BBC she had been released by the kidnappers because they were not getting anywhere with the ransom, and were spending too much money holding her.
She was found by the side of the road in a village south of the city "looking bewildered".
"The village she was in had been told to be on the look out for her, so when she was found, news spread like wildfire," the Rotary member said.
It is believed that the State Security Service knew where she was, but did not want to try and rescue her in case she was injured, he added.
Delta connection?
The kidnappers are still at large.
It is the first time a foreign woman has been kidnapped and held for ransom in Nigeria outside the restive oil-producing Niger Delta region.It is the first time a foreign woman has been kidnapped and held for ransom in Nigeria outside the restive oil-producing Niger Delta region.
Mrs Mulligan, a financial services consultant from Alberta, was travelling from a meeting with a friend when gunmen stopped their car and seized her. The security services are believed to be investigating whether the kidnap gang ringleader is from the Niger Delta, sources close to the situation said.
Ms Mulligan, a financial services consultant from Alberta, was travelling from a meeting with a friend when gunmen stopped their car and seized her.
Health fearsHealth fears
The kidnappers had said Mrs Mulligan was sick. The kidnappers had said Ms Mulligan was sick.
She had spoken to journalists on the phone since her kidnap and said she was afraid of getting malaria.She had spoken to journalists on the phone since her kidnap and said she was afraid of getting malaria.
Local media reported her kidnappers had demanded 20m naira ($135,823; £92,000) to release her.Local media reported her kidnappers had demanded 20m naira ($135,823; £92,000) to release her.
Kidnappings for ransom are common in the southern Niger Delta region, where militants and street gangs target wealthy Nigerians and foreign oil workers. Kidnappings for ransom are common in the southern Niger Delta, where militants and street gangs target wealthy Nigerians and foreign oil workers.
But this is the first time a foreigner has been kidnapped in the north of the country.