By REUTERS
ABUJA - A Nigerian criminal gang released a United Arab Emirates man on March 19 in the southern town of Ibadan after holding him for 60 days, the state security services (SSS) said on Thursday, adding that seven men - but not the gang leaders - had been arrested.The kidnappers tricked Mohammed Khamis al Ali into coming to Nigeria on Jan. 20 to carry out a business deal in the southern commercial hub Lagos, the SSS said. He was seized and held in a remote village in nearby Osun state for 2 months.Nigeria has become infamous for a type of fraud called "419 scams," after the number in the penal code. These often take the form of emails asking for a business partner or bank details, or promising vast riches in return for a small up-front fee.Kidnapping is another major enterprise in Africa's second biggest economy, the vast majority of victims being Nigerian.
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