 Separatist guerrillas in Nigeria have released six of the nine foreign hostages they have been holding, but also warned that they would step up attacks aimed at shutting down the country's oil industry. The militants said they would not hand over the remaining captives, two Americans and a Briton, until two ethnic Ijaw leaders were freed from jail and the oil giant Shell pays a hefty sum to compensate polluted villages. James Ibori, the Delta State governor, welcomed the men, freed on Wednesday - Macon Hawkins, Egypt's Bardese Mohammed and Aly Shady, Tony Santos of the Philippines and Thailand's Muado Somsak and Arak Suwana - to his lodge in the city of Warri. Hawkins was released on his 69th birthday, after 13 days in the Niger Delta swamps. He suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure. "We are very pleased that six of the hostages have been released. I want to thank everyone that has assisted in this effort. |