Israeli man abducted, eventually freed in Nigerian capital
62-year-old man who works for Israeli agricultural company in Abuja taken by militants for ransom; he was freed after ransom of tens of thousands of dollars was paid; Israeli Foreign Ministry, Embassy helped in release efforts.
A 62-year-old Israeli citizen was abducted on the outskirts of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, on Friday, and was released on Tuesday.
The man, who works for an Israeli agricultural company in Nigeria, was taken by militants for ransom. In the firefight that erupted during the abduction, the Israeli's personal driver was killed, while he was taken to a hiding place.
The man was released on Tuesday morning after the ransom was paid.
At first, the abductors demanded several hundreds of thousands of dollars in ransom, but after negotiations they were talked down to several tens of thousands of dollars. Normally, ransoms paid in Nigeria range between $10,000 and $30,000.
The CEO of the Israeli company, the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Israeli Embassy in Nigeria—including Ambassador Guy Feldman, Consul Nadav Goren and the embassy security officer—as well as local authorities all took part in the release efforts.
"The Israeli man is in good condition and is now undergoing a medical examination. I'll meet with him soon," Feldman said. "Over the past year, there has been a spike in the abduction of foreigners (in Nigeria)."
