(SomaliNet) Some two Italians kidnapped last week have been freed by Militants in Nigeria, ItalyÂ’s foreign ministry has said. The two Italians, who work with a construction company, Imreglio, were kidnapped by gunmen near NigeriaÂ’s main oil city of Port Harcourt on Friday. Meanwhile, over the last 12 months, more than 100 foreign workers have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta, Africa's largest oil-producing region. According to experts, the incidents have s led to oil exports from the area falling by 20%.
An Italian foreign ministry spokesman told journalists that the men, Lucio Moro and Luciano Passarin, "were released a short time ago." They were kidnapped when gunmen stormed the Impreglio offices, about 40km (25 miles) from Port Harcourt and took them away. A source close to the Italian ministry says the incident resulted in the Italian foreign ministry calling on all Italian companies operating in the Niger Delta to withdraw expatriate staff from the region.