Two people were killed and three kidnapped when gunmen invaded Kajuru Castle in Kajuru Local Government, Kaduna State, on Friday, April 19.
The deceased have been identified as Mathew Danjuma Oguche – a Nigerian – and his British girlfriend Faye Mooney, 29, an aid worker in Nigeria.
27-year-old Matthew, a Kogi State native, was a staff of the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO). Before his untimely demise, Oguche was involved in the delivery of personal safety and hostile environment awareness courses to NGOs.
INSO said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Matthew Oguche in Friday’s attack at Kajuru Castle in Kaduna state, Nigeria.
“Seen as the ‘little brother’ of the training team, Matthew was a kind, intelligent and outward-looking young man with a passion for learning and a deep commitment to helping others.
“He had a lot of life ahead of him and will be deeply missed across the organisation and wider community.
“Our thoughts are with his family, loved ones and many colleagues at this difficult time.”
Mathew Oguche was a 2015 graduate of Landmark University where he was awarded BSC in agricultural science and public administration. Oguche acquired a postgraduate diploma in public administration and policy from the University of Maiduguri in 2016.
He represented Nigeria and West Africa at the 2017 Youth Agriculture Summit in Brussels, Belgium.
Oguche also worked as a humanitarian affairs intern at Emergency Coordination Centre, Abuja between May 2017 and July 2017. He was a programme assistant at Mercy Corps between July 2017 and January 2018. Mooney was working with Mercy Corps before her death.
Oguche was also a volunteer with Family Life and Hiv Education and Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative(AREAi) between in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
