Kidnapped British missionary dies, 3 others regain freedom

A British opticia and missionary, Ian Squire, who was abducted three weeks ago, along with three others, has been reported dead.

The three others got released and have been reunited with their families.

Four missionaries; David and Shirley Donovan, Alanna Carson and the deceased Squire, all of whom were on a missionary operation to communities in the Ijaw areas, got kidnapped from Enekorogha Creek community in Burutu council area of Delta state on Friday, October 13, 2017.

However, Squire was reportedly killed under unexplained circumstances while in his kidnappers den.

Although there was no official confirmation as at the time of filing this report on Monday night, some unofficial sources confirmed the development.

Some British media outlets quoted an unnamed British Foreign Office woman who confirmed the incident.

However, when reached for comments, the spokesman of the Delta state police command, Andrew Aniamaka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said he was yet to get any information to the effect, promising to come out with confirmation whenever he gets one.

According to The Guardian, a foreign online medium, the Foreign Office spokeswoman who commented on the development had said “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 spokeswoman was quoted.

Squire, 56, an optician from Shepperton in Surrey, had previously visited Nigeria three times to carry out work for his self-founded charity, Mission for Vision, which makes annual trips to remote regions of Africa to carry out “comprehensive eye care programmes”.

Squire had been travelling to Nigeria since 2013 when he joined forces with the Donovans’ New Foundations, a Christian health charity.

During that first mission,  it set up an eye clinic with facilities for sight testing, dispensing and spectacle glazing.

Carson, also a devout Christian, whose social media pages are filled with Bible quotes, worked as an optometrist at Specsavers in Leven, Fife.

David Donovan founded New Foundations in 2003. It aims to train, support and pay community healthcare workers “in regions of extreme need and lack of infrastructure”, with a focus on the Niger Delta.

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