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Report: Abducted oil workers freed
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSPORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (CNN) -- Three foreign oil workers kidnapped in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt have been freed, the Italian oil and gas company Eni SPA said Friday, according to Italian media. Eni spokesman Gianni Di Giovanni told satellite TV broadcaster Sky Italia that the three were released overnight and were in good condition. "They are well, they were not subjected to any violence," Di Giovanni said, The Associated Press reported. The three were kidnapped on Thursday. Two of the men, an Italian and an Indian, were working for Saipem, a division of Eni. The third man's nationality and company had not been confirmed. No group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. Security has been tightened and people are very nervous in the oil industry, CNN African Correspondent Jeff Koinange said. Fatal shootingThe kidnapping follows the fatal shooting Wednesday of an American oil worker in Port Harcourt. It was not clear if his death was a random crime or if it was related to a spate of violence against foreign oil companies operation in the Nigerian Delta. Port Harcourt is the largest city in the Niger Delta, and several oil multinationals have major offices there, including Royal Dutch Shell and Agip. A militant group that has claimed responsibility for kidnappings and bombings targeting oil workers in the past said it had "nothing to do" with the American's death. A diplomat and oil industry source told Reuters the killing was more likely to be linked to a work-related dispute. The group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, is demanding that more of the country's oil wealth be pumped into the region instead of enriching foreign investors and that political prisoners be released. The recent attacks have forced multinationals to cut Nigerian oil exports by a quarter, and the group threatened this week to carry out more attacks on oil industry targets and individuals. 
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