Manchester aid worker shot dead in gun battle with 'bandits'

Faye Mooney had been working in Nigeria for a non-governmental organisation

A British aid worker died after being caught up in a gun battle between police and "bandits" trying to raid a resort in Nigeria, an inquest heard.

Faye Mooney, 29, from Manchester, was killed along with her boyfriend, Nigerian national Matthew Oguche, during the 2019 attack in Kaduna state.

Ms Mooney, who worked for Mercy Corps, died from gunshot wounds to her chest and abdomen.

Her family described her as a fun-loving, hard-working woman.

An inquest at Manchester Coroner's Court heard Ms Mooney had an extensive career in international aid, having worked previously in Kurdistan and the Balkans.

After schooling in Manchester, Ms Mooney was a graduate of University College London and the London School of Economics and was working as Mercy Corps' communication specialist in Nigeria having been at the organisation since 2017.

Her career included teaching in Iraq and working in Kosovo to combat human trafficking.

Dyah Audu, giving evidence via video link, said he was the security manager for Mercy Corps in Kaduna state at the time.

Mr Audu said the day before she was killed was Maundy Thursday, and he and Ms Mooney wished each other "Happy Easter" as the office closed for the holiday weekend.

The following day, Good Friday, at around 23:00, he got a phone call telling him a "white lady" had been killed at Kajuru Castle.

Later he went to identify Ms Mooney's body and spoke to local police, who told him about the attack.

'Bandits'

He suggested the gunmen, who he described as "bandits", were on their way elsewhere but took the opportunity to attack the resort until they faced resistance from armed police on scene.

Mr Audu said there was, "no way" he would have approved any trip to the area of Kajuru, but as this was a weekend and not a Mercy Corps work-related trip, his advice would only have been advisory and not compulsory and staff had freedom to travel in non-work hours.

He added that some parts of Kaduna state were regarded as "no-go" areas, including the area of Kajuru Castle.

Det Ch Insp Ben Cotta said he was part of a mutual legal assistance procedure with Nigeria and had received updates about what had happened.

He said the information he had was that the incident happened around 22:30 when the resort was approached by about 10 individuals who entered the grounds, possibly armed with AK47 machine guns.

A gunfight broke out with two armed policemen, who were acting as security for the resort, and Ms Mooney and her boyfriend left their room.

"Sadly, they were both caught with gunfire during this," DCI Cottam added.

He said the information he had suggested the raid was not terror-related but motivated by "kidnap and ransom", which had been a problem in that part of Nigeria.

Earlier, Paul Mooney described his daughter as fun-loving, hard-working, brave and intelligent who was a "committed internationalist" and very well travelled, her death having deeply touched friends across the world.

He added: "She loved life and loved people. Being in her company was a joy and we miss her."

Coroner Zak Golombeck is scheduled to give his conclusions on Thursday morning