Scottish Firm's oil rig hostages released

OhMyNews published an AP report today indicating that all eight hostages kidnapped from an offshore oil rig in Nigeria were released early this morning:

''The hostages were released in the early hours of this morning,'' [police spokesman Haz] Iwendi said Sunday in the capital, Abuja.''They are on their way to Abuja.'' Police had said Saturday they were negotiating with the kidnappers and were hoping to make a breakthrough.

Iwendi declined to say whether a ransom was paid and did not say who was responsible for the hostage-taking.

The Movement for the Emancipation for the Niger Delta, the main militant group responsible for a wave of attacks and hostage takings this year in Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta, has said it was not responsible for the kidnappings.

... Presidential spokeswoman Remi Oyo had called the abduction a ''misunderstanding'' between local communities and the oil company but did not elaborate.