A powerful militant group in Nigeria's oil producing delta said it had ordered the immediate and unconditional release of an Italian hostage kidnapped last Thursday. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) was not responsible for the Italian's abduction, but has been instrumental in resolving some previous abductions in Africa's top oil producer.The instruction reflects a growing view among activists in the region that their fight for more control over the delta's oil wealth is becoming overshadowed by a wave of criminality. "We have today directed the immediate and unconditional release of the Italian worker contracted to Saipem who was abducted on Thursday. This release will be effected any moment from now," MEND said in an e-mail to the media late on Monday. There have been eight separate abductions by various little-known groups in the Niger Delta in August, and most hostages have been released after the payment of ransoms. Three oil workers, including the Italian, are still in captivity.