‘You’re always in my heart’
Tributes have been pouring in for British contractor worker Brendan
Vaughan, who is believed to have been slain by Ansaru, with six others.
Vaughan, 55, who hailed originally from Leeds, lived in Thailand.
One of Mr Vaughan’s friends – Peter Dixon – left a message on the site saying ‘RIP mate’.
Mr Vaughan’s Thai girlfriend, Orasa Arpornkaew, wrote: ‘You’re always in my heart.’
Dom Cooney posted: ‘Can’t believe it. He was like an ox.’
In a statement, Mr Vaughan’s relatives said: “The family of Brendan
Vaughan, aged 55 from Rothwell, Leeds, are obviously shocked and
saddened by recent events.
“Brendan, best described as a lovable rogue by everyone who knew him, lived his life to the full and on his own terms.
“He was a loved father, brother and fiance who was tragically killed on March 10th 2013.”
The statement added that Mr Vaughan had been “deprived of meeting his first grandchild, a baby girl to be born in May.
“Brendan may be gone but will be never forgotten.”
Yesterday, British Foreign Minister Willaim Hague said in a
statement: “This was an act of cold-blooded murder, which I condemn in
the strongest terms.
“My thoughts are with his family, and the families of the other hostages, who will be devastated by this tragic loss.”
Vaughan’s Facebook page includes details of where he was working in
Nigeria and photos of armed protection guards at his compound.
Four Lebanese construction workers were also killed as well as an
Italian and a Greek. An intelligence source in the Nigerian capital,
Abuja, named the Italian as Silvano Trevisan, adding that he had been
suffering from hypertension and heart problems.
Official silence shrouds the affair, with no statement released by
the Nigerian government two days after Ansaru said it had killed the
workers.
“Up to this moment in time, I have nothing to confirm that the
hostages have been killed. Our investigations are still ongoing to
ascertain whether they are alive or not,” said Hassan Mohammed, police
spokesman for Bauchi state.
A Nigerian secret service official told the Guardian of London that
three of the hostages were believed to have been seriously ill during
their captivity. Vaughan was a diabetic, while Trevisan suffered from
hypertension. Attempts had been made to pass medication to them through
members of Ansaru but had been unsuccessful, the source added.
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