Nigeria's prominent militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), said Tuesday it would release British hostage Matthew Maguire who had spent close to nine months in captivity to reunite with his family within the next 24 hours. 'Special Envoy and Advocate for Change, Matthew Maguire will be leaving the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) to reunite with his family within the next 24 hours,' the group's spokesperson Jomo Gbomo said in a statement reaching here on Tuesday. 'We want to dispel any impression that he is being kept back to serve as a human shield with the approach of Hurricane Piper Alpha, ' the statement said. on Saturday MEND warned oil workers in the troubled oil rich Niger Delta region to leave within 72 hours to avoid its imminent attack 'Hurricane Piper Alpha'. 'Matthew's fate will continue to be tied to that of Henry Okah in the spirit,' it added. Okah, head of MEND, is now in prison. Maguire was among 27 oil workers, including five foreign nationals, taken by gunmen who seized their vessel in September 2008 in the oil-rich Niger Delta. Last week, MEND said Matthew would be free soon, but later it said the British hostage refused to leave. 'Today, June 1 is Mathew Maguire's birthday, He has spent close to 9 months in captivity and we hope to release him today as his gift,' the group's same spokesperson said at the time. The next day, MEND declared Maguire declined to go alone and ' insists that his release should only be considered when Henry Okah is freed to participate in a credible peace process or has been allowed to travel for his urgent kidney surgery.' Since the beginning of 2006, more than 200 foreigners have been kidnapped in Nigeria's restive oil-producing Niger Delta region, most of them being foreign oil workers. 