Kidnapped Irish engineer freed in Nigeria

The Irish engineer kidnapped in southern Nigeria earlier this month has been released by his captors.

Brian Fogarty, from Oughterard in Co Galway, was taken hostage along with five others during a raid on a nightclub in Port Harcourt 10 days ago.

The 39-year-old was working in the city for US company Haliburton.

He and his fellow hostages were all freed last night in the Niger Delta, but it is still unclear who was behind the kidnapping or if a ransom was paid.

Abductions of foreigners are common in Nigeria, where tensions between multinational oil firms and impoverished local communities have also sparked attacks on oil installations.

Most people taken hostage are freed within a matter of days, often after their employers agree to pay ransoms.