Kidnapped Canadian Freed in Nigeria

Robert Croke was taken hostage by militants on Nov. 8.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon has confirmed that Croke, a resident of Newfoundland, was among 19 hostages released after a Nigerian army raid. Croke was working on an oilrig off the coast of the country when militants in speedboats captured him and five other workers ten days ago. Violence erupts sporadically in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, with armed groups targeting the lucrative foreign-run oil industry that they say has exploited the local population. Canadian consular officials are working to reunite Croke with his family, and he is being treated for a bullet wound in his foot.