Doha - 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.
"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.
'Loitering'
The pair, both Nigerians, were detained in the northeast
where troops were battling Boko Haram militants.
Nigerian defence spokesperson Chris Olukolade had said they
were "found to have been loitering around areas where military operations
are ongoing in the northeast 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 co-operation",
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.
