The man, in his 40s, was working for a construction firm in the country. After his attempted kidnapping was interrupted, attackers shot the man from point-blank range, killing him.
An Israeli man in his 40s, employed by a construction firm, was murdered in Nigeria on Tuesday, during an attempted kidnapping near the capital city of Abuja. His family has been notified.
Four armed attackers came to the construction site where the man worked and attempted to kidnap him, apparently in order to hold him for ransom. A local guard, along with a second Israeli worker, tried to prevent the kidnapping.
During the confrontation the victim managed to evade his captors, but was then shot and killed. The Nigerian guard suffered minor wounds. The Israeli embassy in Abuja and the foreign ministry are in the process of bringing the victim’s body to Israel for burial.
Chabad’s representative in Nigeria, Rabbi Israel Uzan, is assisting in the transportation proceedings for the Israeli victim’s body.
“The morning began as usual in the construction site, but suddenly a jeep drove in wildly, and four people came out,” he said. “They grabbed him (the victim) and he started screaming, trying to resist. People who were working in the office came downstairs, and a police officer who was outside the site came immediately, to see what was going on.”
Uzan continued, “They (the kidnappers) started shouting at the officer and beating him, and at this point the Israeli tried to run, but they shot him in the head from point-blank range.”
Regarding the body’s transport to Israel, Rabbi Uzan said, “It’s the most important thing for us. It isn’t a dangerous area. You walk around with police officers, and it’s pretty close to the city center.”
Rabbi Uzan, who knew the victim for several years, suspects that, “they definitely looked for him, that’s what I think. They knew he was going there, because he has other construction sites, and that’s why they came for him of all people.” The rabbi said that the man lived in Nigeria for many years in the past, sometimes with his family, and that he recently moved back there for work.
In 2008, an Israeli was kidnapped from his house in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Kidnappers demanded $12 million in ransom money. He was let go following negotiations.
In 2010, an Israeli businessman, a representative of another construction firm in Nigeria, was kidnapped. He was released for a ransom after a few days.
In March 2015, an Israeli who was working in Nigeria as a consultant was kidnapped by an armed gang. He was held captive for five days, until the company he worked for paid the kidnappers a ransom and he was released.
The kidnapping of western citizens in Nigeria is almost a routine matter. A kidnapping clause, in which the company promises to negotiate with the kidnappers and get the employee released, is a standard part of job contracts for foreigners in the country.
As reported by Ynetnews