Pakistani hostage released in Nigerian oil delta

ABUJA, Aug 28 (Reuters) Nigerian kidnappers have released a Pakistani construction manager from Italian firm Gitto who was snatched on July 31 in the anarchic Niger Delta, the local police chief said today.

The release brings down to four the number of foreign hostages being held in the oil-producing delta, where crime and militancy have surged since early 2006. More than 200 foreigners have been abducted, and mostly released in exchange for money.

''They dropped him somewhere and he found his way to the nearest police station. Then he was taken back to his employers,'' said Felix Ogbaudu, police commissioner of Rivers state, where the Pakistani's abduction took place.

Seven gunmen had snatched him from a road construction site near Bodo community in the Ogoni area of Rivers. They were dressed in red, suggesting they were members of one of the ''cults'' or youth gangs that have fought deadly gunbattles in Bodo in recent months.

Ogbaudu said the Pakistani was in good health. The police chief said he did not know if any ransom had been paid for him.

Armed rebels complaining about neglect of the impoverished delta and demanding local control over oil revenues launched a violent campaign against the oil industry in early 2006.

Their raids forced the closure of several oil fields and output from Nigeria, the world's eighth-biggest exporter, is down by about a fifth.

But the violence has spiralled out of control with numerous criminal gangs using the rebellion as a cover to carry out abductions for ransom and armed robberies.

REUTERS RC PM1400