By AbdulSalam Muhammad, Kano.

KANO – A German national, Edgar Fritz Raupach, who was abducted by suspected  Nigerian militant group since January 26 2012 was killed by his abductors, Thursday morning in a botched rescue mission by the Special security forces.

Raupach, a structural engineer was an employee of Dantata and Sawoe Construction company. He was abducted  by two gun men around 8 am on January 26 along the Zaria – Kano expressway where his company is located.

The failed rescue mission came on the heel of a similar one in Sokoto, March 8 in which a Briton and Italian died alongside several civilian casualties triggering diplomatic rows between Nigeria and Italy.

A counter-terrorism officer who participated in the operation  told Vanguard on condition of anonymity that seven (7) people died in the operation including the German, five  militants, a woman, while three soldiers were believed to have sustained injuries  from a blast that rocked the building during the operations.

According to the source, one AK 47, 129 round of ammunition  and a hand grenade were recovered. Security sources also told Vanguard in Kano that  the  “special forces  from Kaduna who carried out the failed mission acted on a well established intelligence reports over the exact house the German was held”.

When contacted, the new Assistant Inspector General of Police, zone 1, Philemon Ibrahim Leha told reporters that details of the operation was “sketchy” stressing that; “ I am new in this formation, I resumed last night, I heard this same story just like you heard it and want to state that my men did not carry out the operation, and the report we are getting from there is sketchy”.