Sierra Leone's foreign minister said Monday no ransom was paid in the release of a diplomat who was abducted and held captive for five days in Nigeria, Fox News reported.

Sierra Leone's deputy high commissioner to Nigeria Maj. Gen. Alfred Nelson Williams was abducted June 30 while traveling to a military parade in the northwest. At the time, Nigerian workers at Sierra Leone's embassy said the unidentified abductors were demanding $40 million.

Williams was released on July 5 and appeared before reporters in Sierra Leone's capital on Monday.

He provided few details of his captivity. 

Foreign Minister Samura Kamara said "intense pressure by the Nigerian police" helped secure the diplomat's release, but he didn't elaborate.

Williams was traveling on a major highway well known for armed robbery and abductions.

Source: MENA