Port Harcourt, Nigeria ? An American and five other foreigners kidnapped in Nigeria’s southern oil region were released Wednesday, the government said.

The six men were set free in the Port Harcourt area, the focus of a series of kidnapping in recent weeks, said Rivers state government spokesman Magnus Abe.

Among those released was Royce Parfait, a commercial ship captain from Charleston, Tenn., who was abducted 10 days ago during a raid on a nightclub by suspected militants.