German abducted in Nigeria

Speaking to DW by telephone, an eyewitness in the town of Gombi in Adamawa state in northeastern Nigeria confirmed that a German citizen had been kidnapped on Wednesday morning (16.07.2014). He said four men had waited for the German, who runs an education center in the town, at around 7 a.m. "It looked as if they wanted to ask him something," the eyewitness, Samuel Gajere Zamani, who is the deputy head at the center, said. "He wound down his car window to hear what they wanted to say. He said something to them in German, as he doesn't understand Hausa." The kidnappers then pulled down their masks and pulled out their weapons. "There were two of them and two more came on motorbikes. They made him sit between two of them on one of the motorbikes," Zamani continued. "They were all carrying guns."

According to a correspondent of DW's Hausa service, members of a civil defense group immediately set off in pursuit. Two of them were killed, the others returned with their bodies.

The Foreign Ministry in Berlin is aware of the kidnapping, a spokesperson confirmed to DW. However, as is usual in the case of abductions, no further information could be made available at this point.

The German victim works at the "Technical Training Center" (TTC), which has been set up by the regional government in Adamawa to combat the massive youth unemployment in the region.

Every year hundreds of students receive practical training, for example as carpenters or car mechanics, at several centers throughout the state. Those who attend regularly receive payment from the training centers - an absolute exception in the region. There are several Germans among the staff. One explanation for this is that "the former governor is a great fan of Germany," according to journalist Muntaqa Ahiwa. Until recently he reported from Adamawa for DW's Hausa radio program. He now works at the DW broadcasting center in Bonn, Germany. He said the former governor "frequently travels to Germany for medical treatment as well as spending his holidays here. He has very close ties to this country."

According to DW’s information, most Germans in Adamawa state are to be "flown out temporarily."

Political unrest in northeast Nigeria

State governor Murtala Nyako was removed from office one day before the kidnapping, following corruption allegations. A few months earlier he had switched allegiance from the government’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC). This prompted the PDP majority in parliament to try and get rid of him. Elections are due in Nigeria in 2015.

Many Nigerians believe that political motives are behind the kidnapping of the German teacher, the aim being to further destabilize the region, said Mutaqa Ahiwa, adding that “previously kidnappings had not been a problem in Adamawa.”

However, he says it is possible that Islamist sect Boko Haram could be behind the kidnapping. A state of emergency has been in force in Adama for over a year. But Boko Haram has been more active in neighboring state Borno. Gombi, where the German teacher was seized, is just a few kilometers (miles) from Chibok in Borno state, from where the terror group abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in April.

It is common for attacks in the region that are the work of criminals to be attributed to Boko Haram. A government spokesman in Adamawa told DW that the police had sent investigators to Gombi to shed light on the case.