Two Chinese construction workers kidnapped in Nigeria have been freed unharmed, two days after being taken hostage, police said Monday.

The Acting Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Muhammed Abubakar Adamu

Masked gunmen seized the men on Thursday in the Ohaozara area of Ebonyi state in Nigeria’s troubled southeast region.

But after being chased by police, the kidnappers left the men behind, Ebonyi state police spokeswoman Loveth Odah said.

“They were rescued on Saturday morning,” Odah said. “The pressure was so much on the kidnappers that they had to abandon them and flee. They were rescued in a thick forest unhurt.”

Several Chinese companies are working in Nigeria on multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects, including building railways, airports and roads. Their workers have been repeatedly targeted by kidnap gangs.

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Kidnapping for ransom is common in Nigeria, especially in the oil-rich south.

The victims are usually released after ransom is paid although police rarely confirm if money changed hands.

The violence is the latest in a long line of attacks.

Last week, in three separate attacks, gunmen in Rivers state kidnapped a British, Canadian and a Nigerian worker from an oil rig, abducted two Shell staff in a road ambush leaving two policemen dead, and grabbed four Nigerian government emergency workers.

Those hostages are believed to be still in captivity.

VANGUARD