This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/6282846.stm

The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Nigeria kidnappers free UK girl Nigeria kidnappers free UK girl
(about 1 hour later)
Kidnappers in southern Nigeria have released a three-year-old British girl who was held hostage for four days.Kidnappers in southern Nigeria have released a three-year-old British girl who was held hostage for four days.
Margaret Hill was in good health and being cared for by officials in Port Harcourt city, a government spokeswoman told the Reuters news agency. Margaret Hill has been reunited with her parents who say she is in good health but "covered in mosquito bites".
The child was snatched from the car driving her to school on Thursday. The kidnappers had threatened to kill the girl unless a ransom was paid or her British father took her place. It is not known if any ransom was paid.
Kidnappers had threatened to kill the girl unless a ransom was paid or her British father took her place. It is not known whether any ransom was paid. UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he was "delighted" and thanked those who worked to secure her release.
Immense pressure
"I was delighted and relieved to hear of Margaret's release," he said.
"I am grateful to the Nigerian authorities for all their help and I hope the perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice."
Margaret was snatched from the car driving her to school on Thursday.
Her Nigerian mother, Oluchi Hill, had previously said the abductors had contacted her and demanded an unspecified ransom for Margaret's release.
The kidnappers had previously vowed to kill the girl unless her father, a British expatriate oil worker, took her place.
Kidnapping has become the norm in the oil-rich but impoverished Niger delta region, the BBC's Alex Last says.Kidnapping has become the norm in the oil-rich but impoverished Niger delta region, the BBC's Alex Last says.
But, he adds, this time there was immense pressure on her captors - not just from authorities but also from powerful local militant groups, who condemned the crime.But, he adds, this time there was immense pressure on her captors - not just from authorities but also from powerful local militant groups, who condemned the crime.