3 Australians, 1 New Zealander, 2 Nigerians and 1 South African mine workers kidnapped in Nigeria released

Nigeria: Seven mine workers including three Australians, a New Zealander, two Nigerians and a South African who were kidnapped in a deadly attack on Wednesday in Calabar Nigeria have been released.

The men, who work for Perth-based mining company Macmahon Holdings in Calabar were kidnapped by gunmen during a group driving on the outskirt of the city.
In a statement by the company on Sunday, it said the men were released by kidnappers on Sunday.
It said five of the men were injured, two sustain serious wounds, and were receiving medical attention.
Macmahon CEO Sy van Dyk commend the men for the courage they showed during the trouble.

“Our men have been through a traumatic experience, and we have mobilised medical and other support teams in Nigeria to provide immediate support,” he said.
“I also thank the men’s families for working so closely with the company during what has been an extremely difficult time for them as well. They too have endured an incredibly stressful experience.”
He said the families had been told of the release and had spoken to their loved ones.

van Dyk lauded the efforts of Nigerian authorities saying;

“We are very grateful for the professional support we have received from the authorities on the ground in Nigeria,” he said.

He also commended the Australian, New Zealand and South African authorities and the company’s security advisers for their supports towards  Macmahon’s crisis management team.

“This has been an incredible team effort and our highest priority now is to finish the job by continuing to work together to get our people back safely to their families and homes,” he said.
“While we understand the media’s interest in these developments we ask that the privacy of all the families be respected at this time.”

It was not immediately known if the company paid a ransom for the men's release.