Abducted Britons and Colombian freed in Nigeria

Gunmen snatched the group, who were working for oil giant Shell, near the city of Port Harcourt last Tuesday, killing a Nigerian guard.

A police spokeswoman told the AFP news agency all four were "looking okay" but did not say if a ransom had been paid.

The oil-producing region is notorious for kidnappings by militants, who demand a greater share of its wealth.

But the Delta has been relatively calm since most major militant groups agreed to lay down their arms last year after the government offered an amnesty.

But the BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos says that with President Umaru Yar'Adua in a hospital in Saudi Arabia, no-one has been steering the amnesty process.

Many militants say the government has not fulfilled its promises. Our correspondent says there are signs that the hard-won lull in violence is now under strain.
 
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