Kidnappers Storm Castle Resort, Kill Aid Worker, Boyfriend

A British aid worker and her boyfriend were shot dead when kidnappers stormed a resort in northern Nigeria on Friday night, authorities say. The victims were identified as Faye Mooney, a 29-year-old who worked for the Mercy Corps aid organization, and Mathew Obuche, who worked for the Safety Organization NGO, Punch reports. Three other people were kidnapped. "Some suspected kidnappers armed with dangerous weapons gained entry into a recreational resort called Kajuru Castle in Kajuru local government area shooting sporadically and in the process shot dead two persons, including an expatriate lady, and took away three others," a Kaduna state police spokesman said, per Reuters.

There is a Boko Haram and ISIS insurgency in the region, though authorities haven't commented on the identity or motive of the kidnappers. "Faye was an inspiration to her family, friends, students, and work colleagues," family members tell the Guardian. "Her bravery and her belief in a better society took her to places others feared. Faye did what she wanted; nothing held her back." Mercy Corps chief executive Neal Keny-Guyer says Mooney, a communications and learning specialist, had been with the organization for almost two years, "devoting her time to making a difference in Nigeria." He says Mooney's colleagues are "utterly heartbroken." (More Nigeria stories.)