Nigerian police rescued 14 oil workers who were kidnapped by an unknown group of assailants earlier this month.
According to the Premium Times, the Rivers Police Command rescued the 14 workers over the course of the weekend.
The Command’s Tactical Units exchanged gun fire with the assailants for an hour and half before rescuing the victims.
Police rescued five of the workers on Saturday and rescued seven more workers early Sunday morning, according to Deutsche Welle.
Two other workers who had been taken hostage had been released earlier, Deutsche Welle said.
The 14 oil workers are all local employees at service firm Nestoil, Deutsche Welle said.
Police Deputy Superintendent Nnamdi Omoni told News 24 Nigeria that several of the kidnappers were wounded while fleeing from police.
According to the Associated Press, the oil workers were kidnapped by a group of gunmen on September 2 near the Port of Harcourt.
The kidnappers had demanded just over $322,000 in ransom, the AP added.
A spokesman for the Police Command told the Premium Times that the assailants fled after their confrontation with police and abandoned the hostages.
The spokesman added that no ransom was paid and police are still searching for the assailants.
One of the kidnapped oil workers was in a state of shock and was taken to a hospital for treatment, according to Deutsche Welle.
