Boko Haram murders Lebanese man in Nigeria
A Lebanese native of Sidon was kidnapped and killed by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria, a Foreign Ministry source said Thursday.
Ahmad al-Sarji, from Haret Saido, was kidnapped a week ago by Boko Haram, and Lebanese officials learned Thursday that he had been killed.
“His kidnappers were demanding ransom,” the source told The Daily Star, adding that Lebanon and its ambassador to Nigeria had been in contact with the victim’s employee to secure the ransom.
“Today, unfortunately, we were surprised to hear that Boko Haram murdered him.”
On Tuesday, Nigeria’s police announced that gunmen had abducted a Lebanese construction worker and killed another man in the northern city of Kano.
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The unidentified gunmen also shot one man, Alphonsus Ahmed, who died on his way to hospital, and a bullet injured another, Abdullahi Mohammed, the spokesman said.
Kidnappings are rampant in Nigeria, where both locals and foreigners are targeted, mostly for ransom.
A sluggish economy means the average Nigerian is getting poorer while the national security infrastructure is crumbling.
Kano is the economic heart of northern Nigeria, where many foreigners live and work.
Nigeria is concluding its gubernatorial elections, held last Saturday, though results are yet to be announced. Last month, voters re-elected Muhammadu Buhari for a second term as president.
He campaigned on pledges to fight corruption and renew infrastructure as well as reviving the economy and quelling violence, including a decade-old Islamist insurgency in the northeast.
Source: Daily Star
