Released hostage expected home in Galway today

THE family of released hostage Brian Fogerty are expecting to welcome him back to his family home in Galway today.

Yesterday evening, his brother Paul said that Brian had been in touch with his parents and arrangements were being made to fly him back to Ireland “within 24 hours”.

Paul Fogerty said the family were “delighted” that the 10-day hostage ordeal had ended well and they were looking forward to having Brian back in his native Oughterard.

Brian was in touch with his family a number of times since he was released as officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs made arrangements to fly him home.

“We are expecting him home within the next 24 hours, we don’t know a lot more at this stage,” said Paul.

“I haven’t been speaking with him myself but he was speaking with my father a few times. He is in good form and he is glad to be out ... I don’t have a lot more details, we still have a bit of catching up to do.”

Mr Fogerty was released, along with five other hostages, by their captors late on Wednesday night after spending 10 days under the charge of an unnamed Nigerian gang.

After his release, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern praised the officials in Nigeria and all who helped bring an end to the hostage crisis.

Yesterday, the department said it could not discuss the details of Mr Fogerty’s release nor the arrangements being made for his return home.

Ten days ago, Mr Fogerty was taken in a blaze of gunfire from a nightclub along with five other workers from Britain, America, Poland and Germany.

None of the men was harmed while they were held captive.

They were released in the country’s Delta region where local government official Magnus Abe said the identity of their kidnappers was still not known.

However, he did move to reassure the international community that Nigeria’s oil-rich Rivers State was under control and was a “safe place to do business”.

There have been 16 kidnappings in the region in the past fortnight which has led the country’s president Olusegun Obasando to announce a police clampdown.

Mr Fogerty had been working for the United States military and construction company Halliburton.