ABUJA, Nigeria, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- French engineer Francis Collomp, who was taken hostage by Nigerian militants in 2012, has been released, French President Francois Hollande said Sunday.
Collomp, 63, was kidnapped in December 2012 by members of the Nigerian Islamic group Ansaru, an offshoot of Boko Haram, while he was working for a French company in Nigeria, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Ansaru released a short video in September to prove Collomp was still alive, but he hadn't been heard from since.
"France did not stop deploying every effort to reach this happy outcome," Hollande said in a statement.
Hollande thanked the Nigerian authorities, who worked with France to secure the Collomp's release.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will meet Collomp in Nigeria, Hollande's statement said.
