Oil workers released in Nigeria

Shell's operations in the Niger Delta have been targeted before

Six oil workers kidnapped in Nigeria's southern Niger Delta area three days ago have been released unharmed.

The workers, linked to Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell, were freed following talks between the kidnappers and local officials in the state of Bayelsa.

A government spokesman said the men - two Germans and four Nigerians - were freed without conditions.

The men's captors complained that Shell had failed to fulfil promises to promote development in the region.

Local anger

The six workers are all employed by oil services firm Bilfinger-Berger, a local contractor for Shell.

A group of gunmen abducted the workers as they were travelling by boat on Wednesday.

There have been other kidnappings in the area before, also carried out by hostage takers alleging that foreign oil firms have reneged on agreements to invest in the local economy, communities and region.

In December last year, villagers in the Delta region temporarily occupied three foreign-owned installations - two run by Shell and one operated by ChevronTexaco.

And on Wednesday an armed gang released Tony Gouldbourne, the Liverpool man they had seized during the hijack of an oil platform off the West African coast.

Nigeria is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and most of its crude comes from the Niger Delta area.