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Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari (Photo: AFP)

Israeli man murdered in Nigeria

Nir Rosmarin, 43, was working for construction firm in the country. After his attempted kidnapping was interrupted, attackers shot the man from point-blank range, killing him.

Nir Rosmarin, 43, from Kfar Saba, 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 Rosmarin 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, Rosmarin 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 Rosmarin's body to Israel for burial.

 

Nir Rosmarin
Nir Rosmarin

 

Chabad's representative in Nigeria, Rabbi Israel Uzan, is assisting in the transportation proceedings for Rosmarin'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 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."  

 

Nigerian police. An officer was wounded trying to help the murdered Israeli worker. (Photo: AP) (Photo: AP)
Nigerian police. An officer was wounded trying to help the murdered Israeli worker. (Photo: AP)

  

Uzan continued, "They (the kidnappers) started shouting at the officer and beating him, and at this point (Rosmarin) 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 Rosmarin 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 Rosmarin lived in Nigeria for many years in the past, sometimes with his family, and that he recently moved back there for work.

 

"The circumstances are still unclear to us," said one of his relatives. He is survived by his wife Dinor and four children: Roei, 13, Mika, 12, Omer, 8, and Noam, 6 - who only last week started first grade.

 

Family and many friends visited Rosmarin's home upon receiving news of his death. They said he worked as a construction site manager in Nigeria and had visited Israel in mid-August, but later returned to work abroad. He was supposed to come back for a visit after Yom Kippur.

 

Guy Golding, Rosmarin's brother-in-law, said: "Nir was a smart guy, amazing, funny and intelligent. He was a construction site manager in Nigeria. His family was the most important thing in his life. He was supposed to return to Israel for vacation during the High Holy Days. We do not understand what happened there and are waiting for answers regarding how he was killed."

 

Golding added: "It's a big shock. We find it hard to understand. Family and friends are in shock." He said they are making efforts to bring his body to Israel by Friday.

 

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.

 


פרסום ראשון: 09.09.15, 21:29
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