Kidnapped UK oil worker is freed

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Gordon Gray, from Crieff in Perthshire, was handed over to Nigerian government officials.

He was taken by armed men from the Bulford Dolphin drilling rig in the Niger Delta early on Saturday.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that the oil worker taken hostage at the weekend has been released safe and well.

"He is in good health and has been taken to the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos. Next-of-kin have been informed."

Mr Gray works as an offshore installation manager with Aberdeen-based Dolphin Drilling.

The married father-of-one was seized by a group of armed men who took the guard vessel that was supposed to be protecting the rig off the coast of the Bayelsa state.

Allan Grindlay, Dolphin Drilling operations manager, said: "We are extremely pleased that our colleague is free at last.

"We have to express our thanks to our client and local and national government figures in Nigeria for their unstinting assistance."

The incident is the latest in a spate of kidnappings in the West African country's oil-rich but impoverished Niger River delta region. Almost 70 foreigners have been taken since the beginning of the year, but most are released unharmed after a cash payment.