Abducted Germans regain freedom in Nigeria

A German archeologist and his associate abducted on Wednesday by unknown gunmen at Jenjela village in northern Nigeria Kaduna State, have regained their freedom, a local official said Sunday.

A spokesman to the state governor, Samuel Aruwan, who confirmed the release to Xinhua on phone, commended the security operatives for a job well done.

The governor's spokesman said, the abducted German archaeologist, Professor Peter Breunij, and his research assistant, Johannes Buringer, have been freed.

The professor is said to be the leader of a four-member team from the University of Frankfurt, Germany working in Nigeria in collaboration with the National Commission for Museum and Monuments and other institutions on the relics of Nok culture in Nigeria.

Though the statement was silent on whether a ransom was paid before the Germans were released, the abductors on Wednesday contacted the colleagues of the professor and demanded 60 million naira (about 188,000 U.S dollars) as ransom on the two men.

Breunij, 65 and his aide who is in his early 20s, were abducted on Wednesday while working on an excavation of relics of Nok culture at Jenjela community in Kagarko local government of Kaduna State. Endit