Three Australians who survived a five-day abduction ordeal in Nigeria have been through a traumatic event and it's not over yet, their Perth-based employer says.
Mining company Macmahon Holdings is relieved its seven workers are safe after gunmen shot dead their Nigerian driver and kidnapped them last Wednesday.
It says five of the seven workers are injured, two seriously.
But the company hasn't detailed the nature of any injuries suffered by the Australians and a New Zealander, who's a permanent Australian resident.
All seven men have been moved to a safe location, and the four ex-pats are to be flown out of Nigeria as soon as possible.
"Our men have been through a traumatic experience, and we have mobilised medical and other support teams in Nigeria to provide immediate support," Macmahon chief executive Sy van Dyk said in a statement.
"Our highest priority now is to finish the job by continuing to work together to get our people back safely to their families and homes."
The ABC has named one of the Australians as Mark Gabbedy.
Mr Gabbedy's elderly father Colin has described his overwhelming relief and has thanked Macmahon for its determination to secure his son's release.
"We are enormously grateful to them," he told the ABC.
Macmahon won't reveal if it paid a ransom to secure the workers' release.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the Australian government was not part of any ransom deal that might have been struck.
"The company will have to answer for itself, but the Australian government certainly does not (pay ransoms)," she told 2GB Radio on Monday.
Nigerian police have told local media they freed the men.
"The police stormed the location where they were being held and rescued them," police spokeswoman Irene Itohan said, adding that all of the kidnappers managed to escape.
The seven workers, who also included a South African and two Nigerians, were snatched on the outskirts of the southern city of Calabar after their driver was slain.
Macmahon Holdings mines material for processing at Lafarge Africa's UniCems cement plant at Mfamosing, in Nigeria's southeast.
