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BEIJING : Three Chinese construction workers kidnapped on Tuesday in southern Nigeria have been freed, China's foreign ministry said Saturday.
The three employees, who were working for the China Civil Engineering Construction Corp., were abducted near the company's compound in Calabar, the state capital of Cross River state.
They were released on Friday after "various efforts by the Chinese side," said the ministry in a brief press release, without giving further details.
Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency, earlier said it was not known who was responsible for the kidnapping.
Chinese workers, employed in construction or by oil firms, have been abducted in the past in Nigeria and later released.
China, which has increased its presence in Africa in recent years, has never indicated whether it paid to secure their release.
In 2007, more than 200 foreign workers were taken hostage, often being released after a ransom was paid.
- AFP /ls
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