An Irishman who was kidnapped 11 days ago from a Nigerian bar in an armed raid in the southern city Port Harcourt was last night freed unharmed by his captors.
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Bryan Fogarty (39) from Oughterard, Co Galway, was freed last night along with others being held hostage.
Mr Fogarty had been working for US oil services company Hallibruton.
The Department did not give details of the release and did not say whether a ransom had been paid.
In a statement released this morning Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said he was delighted to learn of Mr Fogarty's release.
"The important thing is that Brian is free," Mr Ahern said. ""It will, of course, be important that Brian take time to recover from this and I wish him well in that recovery."