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| Russian hostages freed in Nigeria | Russian hostages freed in Nigeria |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Six Russians kidnapped by gunmen more than two months ago from an aluminium firm in southern Nigeria have been freed, government officials say. | Six Russians kidnapped by gunmen more than two months ago from an aluminium firm in southern Nigeria have been freed, government officials say. |
| The four men and two women are reportedly in good health. | The four men and two women are reportedly in good health. |
| They were seized on 3 June in the south-eastern town of Ikot Abasi, and their Nigerian driver was shot dead. | They were seized on 3 June in the south-eastern town of Ikot Abasi, and their Nigerian driver was shot dead. |
| Kidnappings - more often of oil workers - have become a common occurrence in the south of Nigeria. Victims tend to be released after a ransom is paid. | Kidnappings - more often of oil workers - have become a common occurrence in the south of Nigeria. Victims tend to be released after a ransom is paid. |
| The Russians were working at an aluminium-smelting plant controlled by Russia Aluminium (Rusal), the world's largest aluminium producer. | |
| The Russian Foreign Ministry has welcomed their release: "If the reports are true, we are satisfied with the outcome of the affair," a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Andrei Krivtsov, told RIA Novosti news agency. | |
| "The work for the liberation of the Russians has been long and painstaking. We are satisfied that the matter was resolved in a positive way," he said. |