MOSCOW (Reuters) - Nigerian pirates have released seven Russian and one Ukrainian sailors after they were captured last month on the cargo ship the BBC Caribbean, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday, citing a human rights activist in Crimea.

The sailors were released after talks between the owners of the ship and pirates.

Interfax news agency quoted human rights activist Pavel Butsay, in the city of Sevastopol, as saying the sailors were at a Frankfurt airport and planned to return home next week.

Butsay told TASS news agency that a ransom was paid but did not reveal the sum.

Security experts class West Africa’s waters, especially off Nigeria where many pirates originate, as some of the world’s most dangerous, with attackers often targeting oil tankers and holding hostages for ransom.