Nigerian defence spokesman Chris Olukolade |
Two Al-Jazeera television
journalists who had been detained by the Nigerian military since March 24 have
been freed, the Qatar-based broadcaster said in a statement on Sunday.
It said Ahmed Idris and Ali
Mustafa had been allowed to leave the Maiduguri hotel where they were detained,
and return to the network`s Abuja office, reported BraveheartNija.
"We're pleased for Ahmed and
Ali that their ordeal is over," said Salah Negm, director of news for
Al-Jazeera English.
"They're looking forward to
spending some time with their families and loved ones. I know that both of them
want to thank everyone that helped secure their release, including NGOs,
politicians and fellow journalists," Negm added.
There were no further details on
the conditions of their release.
The pair, both Nigerians, were
detained in the northeast where troops were battling Boko Haram militants.
Nigerian defence spokesman Chris
Olukolade had said they were "found to have been loitering around areas
where military operations are ongoing in the North-east and have been
restrained in Maiduguri".
But Al-Jazeera said they were
taken from their hotel room after having "finished filming a story on the
military with their cooperation", and that their camera equipment was
confiscated.
Nigeria's military has had tense
relations with the media, particularly overseas organisations, frequently
accusing them of misrepresenting the conflict.
The journalists also had their
phones confiscated and had not been allowed to contact the outside world.
Reporter Idris joined Al-Jazeera
in 2010 and has 30 years' experience in broadcasting. Cameraman Mustafa has
been with the network since 2011.
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