Two South Koreans who were kidnapped by an unknown armed group in Nigeria nearly three weeks ago have been released, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
Kidnapping for ransom is common in Nigeria, and foreign workers have previously been targeted by criminal gangs, particularly those working in remote mining or construction projects.
According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, the two South Koreans who were kidnapped in southern Nigeria on December 12th were employees of a construction subsidiary of the Daewoo Group.
The men “were taken to a safe area after a medical examination and spoke to their families by telephone,” the ministry said in a statement sent to AFP, saying the men were in good health.
It was unclear whether a ransom was paid.
During the kidnapping, members of the armed group killed four bodyguards – Nigerian soldiers – as well as two local drivers, Seoul said in the statement.
According to the statement, the South Korean government has pledged to “review the protection measures” for its nationals in Nigeria.
Several Asian companies, particularly Chinese and South Korean, are present in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, and are involved in road and railway construction projects in the country.