British aid worker killed by gunmen in Nigeria

A British woman and a Nigerian citizen have been shot dead in north-central Nigeria.

The British High Commission confirmed the death of 29-year-old charity worker Faye Mooney.

A statement released by aid group Mercy Corps, where Ms Mooney had been working, said they are "utterly heartbroken" at the news.

A High Commission statement says the pair were killed on Friday when gunmen attacked the Kajuru Castle holiday resort in Kaduna state.

Local police said three other people were kidnapped, but their nationalities were not immediately clear.

Police say the aid worker had been in a group of 12 tourists who had travelled from Lagos to the holiday resort.

Ms Mooney had been working as a communications specialist in Nigeria for almost two years, Neal Keny-Guyer, Mercy Corps' chief executive said.

Mr Keny-Guyer said in the statement: "We are utterly heartbroken. Faye was a dedicated and passionate communications and learning specialist who had worked with Mercy Corps for almost two years, devoting her time to making a difference in Nigeria, supporting our teams and the communities we work with to tell their stories of impact, and leading efforts to counter hate speech and violence."

He added: "A graduate of University College London and the London School of Economics who had taught in Iraq and worked in Kosovo to combat human trafficking, Faye was deeply committed to fostering cross-cultural collaboration and was an inspiration to us all."

Kaduna state has witnessed a spate of kidnappings by armed men in recent months.