Abuja  - Nigerian militants have released British citizen David Melford, who was abducted two weeks ago, a spokesman for the military in the oil-rich Niger Delta region said Saturday.

Lieutenant-Colonel Sagir Musa told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that no ransom was paid to secure the release of the expatriate, who was abducted in Eleme in Rivers State.

Militant groups in the Niger Delta, such as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, often attack oil installations and kidnap expatriate workers, saying they are fighting for a greater share of profits from oil exploitation for the poor of the region.

The government says they are merely criminal gangs intent on stealing oil and extorting money.

The unrest had cut oil production by around a fifth since early 2006, helping to push up global oil prices and allowing Angola to surpass Nigeria as Africa's biggest oil exporter. (dpa)