British aid worker kidnapped and murdered in Nigeria

A British aid worker has been shot dead by kidnappers after she was snatched while attending a party in Nigeria.

A British woman has been kidnapped and murdered in Nigeria after she was snatched from a party in the northern city of Kaduna.

The Sun reports Faye Mooney, 29, from Manchester, was working as an aid worker in the African country when she was abducted from Kajuru Castle.

The kidnappers also abducted and killed a Nigerian man and abducted three others.

Kidnappings are rampant in Nigeria, where both locals and foreigners are targeted mostly for ransom.

The woman has been identified as Faye Mooney by the British High Commission. Picture: Facebook

Ms Mooney travelled from Lagos as a tourist and was attending a party before the incident happened, police said.

Ms Mooney was named by the British High Commission but added it would not speculate on the motive or nature of the attack.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the incident, and the kidnappers had yet to be identified, police said.

Ms Mooney was employed in Nigeria by a non-governmental organisation called Mercy Corps.

Her next of kin had been notified, the British High Commission said.

“Some suspected kidnappers armed with dangerous weapons gained entry into a recreational resort called Kajuru Castle in Kajuru local government area, shooting sporadically, and in the process shot dead two persons, including an expatriate lady, and took away three others,” a Kaduna state police spokesman said.

The police did not name the other person killed.

Ms Mooney had worked for Mercy Corps since October 2017.

Faye Mooney was working as an aid worker when she was snatched from a party at Kajuru Castle.

She gained a first in history at UCL in 2010 and then studied a master of science in social policy at the London School of Economics.

Mercy Corps CEO Neal Keny-Guyer said in a statement: “We are utterly heartbroken.

“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.”

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.

Kidnappers stormed Kajuru Castle.

President Muhammadu Buhari won re-election 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 from the town of Chibok, propelling the Boko Haram insurgency into the spotlight and prompting the global #BringBackOurGirls campaign. Some of the girls remain in captivity five year later.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission