No ransom paid in Nigeria kidnap

NO ransom money was requested or paid to the terrorists who killed Briton Chris McManus and Italian Franco Lamolinara in Nigeria, Foreign Office sources have insisted.

There have been reports that a £1 million down payment on a £4m ransom had been handed over prior to the death of the 28-year-old Briton. A senior government official said: “No money was paid, certainly no down payment. The UK government’s stance [on paying ransoms to terrorists] is well known.”

He confirmed the killers were “terrorists associated with Boko Haram”, a terrorist network linked to al-Qaeda which has become more active in the last year.