Abuja: A German engineer, who was abducted in Nigeria's northern state of Kano in January, was on Thursday killed by his captors during a botched military rescue bid.
A military unit, Joint Task Force (JTF) traced kidnapped German national Raufach Edgar to a hideout near Bayero University in Kano but failed to rescue him as he was killed by the captors during the raid, sources said.
A military helicopter was used to provide aerial support to the forces on ground during the raid.
The fate of his abductors is not yet known.
Edgar worked for local construction company, Dantata and Sawoe before he was kidnapped by two gunmen on January 26 along a major road in Kano, where he was supervising some works.
A similar abduction of an Italian and Briton last year resulted in a botched rescue operation involving Nigerian and British troops.
JTF said they will soon hold a press briefing regarding the operation.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, May 31, 2012, 17:45