Canadian woman kidnapped in Nigeria freed

LAGOS, Nigeria — Police in Nigeria say a Canadian woman kidnapped this month in northern Nigeria has been released unharmed.

National police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu says the woman was freed Wednesday in the northern city of Kaduna and no ransom was paid.

Ojukwu says the Canadian national is in good health and safely in the hands of Nigerian authorities.

The woman was taken hostage April 16 in Kaduna where she had been attending an international conference.

While kidnapping for ransom is common in the restive southern Niger Delta oil region, it’s extremely rare in the heavily Muslim northern part of the country.

Kidnapping victims in Nigeria are typically released unharmed after a ransom is paid.