Tributes have been paid to an aid worker from Manchester killed by kidnappers in Nigeria.
Faye Mooney, 29, had traveled from Lagos to Kaduna as a tourist and had been attending a party when the tragedy happened, police said.
The
British High Commission in Nigeria said it was aware of the incident and
released the woman’s name however they refused to speculate on the
motive or nature of the attack.
No one has claimed responsibility for
the incident and the kidnappers have yet to be identified, Nigerian
police say, according to UK-based Trinity Mirror.
Ms Mooney was employed in Nigeria by a non-governmental organisation called Mercy Corps before she was killed late on Friday.
Her next of kin have been informed, the authorities said.
Tributes
to the Briton were led by Neal Keny-Guyer, chief executive of Mercy
Corps, an American NGO which provides humanitarian aid to 38 countries.
He
said: “Faye was a dedicated and passionate communications and learning
specialist who had worked with Mercy Corps for almost two years,
devoting her time to making a difference in Nigeria, supporting our
teams and the communities we work with to tell their stories of impact,
and leading efforts to counter hate speech and violence.
“A
graduate of University College London and the London School of Economics
who had taught in Iraq and worked in Kosovo to combat human
trafficking, Faye was deeply committed to fostering cross-cultural
collaboration and was an inspiration to us all.”
“We extend our
deepest sympathy to those who have been affected by this senseless
tragedy, including her family, friends and all of our team members in
Nigeria who knew her and loved her.
“Our program operations in
Nigeria will continue, but our priority focus at this time remains on
the care of the family of our beloved team member and our team in
Nigeria.”
A Kaduna state police spokesman told of how the
suspected kidnappers were armed with “dangerous weapons” when they
entered the Kajuru Castle “shooting sporadically.”
They confirmed a second person had been killed, but did not name them.
Northern
Nigeria is plagued by a Boko Haram and Islamic State insurgency as well
as clashes between farmers and herders in which hundreds have died.
“We
are engaging with the Nigerian authorities, and we understand an
investigation is underway,” the British High Commission said in a
statement.
Kidnappings are rampant in Nigeria, where both locals and foreigners are targeted – mostly for ransom.
Muhammadu
Buhari won re-election as president for another four years in February,
pledging to improve security in Nigeria, boost economic growth and
fight corruption.
In 2014, more than 270 schoolgirls were abducted by
Boko Haram from the town of Chibok, prompting the global
#BringBackOurGirls campaign.
Some of the girls remain in captivity five years later.
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