He’d Miss Seeing His Grandchild, Says Family of Slain British Hostage

Ansaru posted a video reportedly showing that the hostages had been killed

By Ndubuisi Ugah, with agency reports

The hope was high that he would soon be a grandfather. He had remained in touch with his daughter, who is expected to be delivered of a baby in May, making it Brendan Vaughan’s first grandchild.

But that hope has been eternally dashed following the news that the Briton who was among the seven construction workers seized by Islamic militants from Ansaru in Jama’are, Bauchi State, has been killed along with others by their captors.

The news of the killing has thrown several families and indeed their nations into mourning.

Vaughan, 55, has been denied the chance to meet his first grandchild, his family said. In a statement released through the Foreign Office, they 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 has been deprived of meeting his first grandchild, a baby girl to be born in May. Brendan may be gone but will be never forgotten.

"The family would like to thank friends and family for their support, kindness and condolences."

Even his girlfriend in far away Thailand, Orasa Arpornkaew, was full of grief, as she posted on her Facebook page that he was "always in my heart."
Vaughan, originally from Leeds, had apparently started a new life in Thailand and was in a relationship with Arpornkaew.

He was working for the Lebanese construction company, Setraco, when he and six colleagues were taken hostage on February 16 by the Ansaru group, believed to be a breakaway from the Boko Haram sect.
                           
Britain’s Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said on Sunday that Vaughan was "likely to have been killed at the hands of his captors" along with other six in "an unforgivable act of pure cold-blooded murder."

Ansaru has posted a video online titled: "The killing of seven Christian hostages in Nigeria", showing what appears to be a gunman standing next to a pile of bodies, then close-ups of faces lit up by a torch, according to Reuters.

In it, a gunman with a rifle is seen standing in the sand next to several bodies, the Associated Press reported.

The video appears to match grainy images of bodies posted online by Ansaru on Saturday.

In an accompanying online statement, the militant group said it had killed the captives.

A State Security Service (SSS) official had 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 another suffered from hypertension. Attempts to pass medication to them through members of Ansaru had been unsuccessful, the source said.

The other hostages included two Lebanese, two Syrians an Italian and a Greek. Vaughan’s friend, Peter Dixon, posted a picture of Vaughan raising a glass of beer outside a beach bar with the simple statement: "RIP mate."

Vaughan's Facebook page includes details of where he was working in northern Nigeria and a photo of armed protection guards at his compound about which he said: "They don't carry them for show." But on the day of the attack, his security guard was mauled down.

The terrorists said they killed the "seven Christian foreigners" because they believed British jets were being readied for a rescue mission, a claim the Ministry of Defence has denied. 

But the Nigerian government has remained silent on the matter.

"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, the spokesman for Bauchi State Police Command.

Ansaru came into the spotlight when it kidnapped and murdered British construction worker Christopher McManus, 28, and his Italian colleague Franco Lamolinara, 47, in February 2012.

Unlike Boko Haram, its violent campaign appears to be aimed at  international targets. Ansaru also claimed responsibility for an attack that killed two and wounded eight Mali-bound soldiers in Kogi State in January.