Nigeria’s oil hub frees 22 quarantined Exxon Mobil workers

Nigeria’s Rivers State has freed 22 Exxon Mobil Corp. employees quarantined last week after their arrest for violating an order restricting movement into the state to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the state government said yesterday.

Port Harcourt, capital of the southern state, is the hub of the oil industry in Africa’s biggest producer of crude. On Friday, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike said the workers were arrested after entering the state from neighbouring Akwa Ibom State in violation of an executive order restricting movement into the state as part of measures imposed last month to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

He said the workers, whose coronavirus status was unknown, were quarantined in line with relevant health protocols and would be charged in court.