A Liverpool man, who has been held in captivity for nine months by MEND, the main armed militant group in southern Nigeria, has refused to be freed, his kidnappers said. Skip related content
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"Mr Mathew Maguire has declined the gift of a release from captivity with an argument that he is now an advocate for change in the region and a honorary member of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)," the group said in an email to the media.

"This has come as a surprise to us and we can not forcibly eject him from our camp against his will," it said.

"He insists that his release should only be considered when Henry Okah is freed to participate in a credible peace process or has been allowed to travel for his urgent kidney surgery," MEND said, referring to the rebel group's leader who is on trial for treason.

Earlier on Monday, MEND said it planned to release Maguire later in the day as a birthday gift.

"Today, June 1 is Mathew Maguire's birthday. He has spent close to nine months in captivity and we hope to release him today as his gift," the group said of the oil worker who has been held captive since September.

He was abducted along with another Briton, Robin Barry Hughes, who was released in April on health grounds.

Hundreds of people, most but not all of them linked to the oil sector, have been kidnapped in the Delta in the past three and a half years.

Most have been released after a few days or a few weeks in captivity, very often after the payment of a ransom.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090602/tuk-briton-held-in-nigeria-refuses-freed-a7ad41d.html