A British man said to have been kidnapped while carrying out
missionary work in Delta State, South-south of Nigeria, has been killed
by his abductors, a UK newspaper, The Guardian, has reported.
The victim, 56-year-old Ian Squire, was one of four British charity
workers kidnapped from the rural community of Enekorogha on October 13,
the paper reported on Monday.
It described the victim as an optician, who had been working with a
Christian health charity, the New Foundations, to train local people to
carry out sight tests and dispense prescription spectacles.
The New Foundations is reported to have opened an eye clinic in Enekorogha in 2016.
Mr. Squire is credited with developing a solar-powered, portable
lens-grinding machine for the clinic, which is said to be located in an
area without electricity.
Mr. Squire’s death, the paper said, has been confirmed on Monday by the UK Foreign Office.
The paper, however, said that the circumstances surrounding his death were not immediately clear.
The names of the other abducted missionaries were given as David
Donovan, a General Practitioner from Cambridge, said to be the founder
of the New Foundations; Mr. Donovan’s wife, Shirley; and Alanna Carson,
an optometrist from Leven, Fife.
The three were released and have reunited with their families outside Nigeria.
The Guardian quoted an unnamed UK Foreign Office’s spokesperson as
saying, “We are supporting the families of four British people who were
abducted on 13 October in Nigeria, one of whom was tragically killed.
“This has clearly been a traumatic time for all concerned, and our
staff will continue to do all we can to support the families. We are
grateful to the Nigerian authorities, and are unable to comment given
the ongoing nature of their investigations.”
The paper also published a statement issued by the families of the four hostages.
“Alanna, Ian, David and Shirley were kidnapped in Nigeria some three
weeks ago. We are grateful for the support received by the British high
commission and help from the Nigerian authorities in negotiating their
release,” the families said.
“We are delighted and relieved that Alanna, David and Shirley have
returned home safely. Our thoughts are now with the family and friends
of Ian as we come to terms with his sad death.”
The late Mr. Squire was said to have set up his own charity, Mission
for Vision, in 2003, and had been travelling to Nigeria since 2013 in a
joint effort with New Foundations.
Mission for Vision, in its filing in the UK, said it was in the process of training three healthcare workers in the Delta.
The organisation has also done charity work in other African
countries like Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic
of the Congo.
Kidnap-for-ransom has been one of the strategies associated with the
militants in the Nigeria’s Niger Delta region who are agitating for the
control of the oil deposits in the area.
The Guardian report didn’t, however, attribute the latest incident to any of the militant groups in the region.