Nigerian diplomat assassinated in Sudan

A Nigerian diplomat was found dead on Thursday at his home in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, two security sources said.

According to Reuters, the Police were investigating the incident but provided no details on how he died.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the death of the Nigerian Immigration attache, and identified him as Habibu Almu, at the Nigerian Mission in Khartoum, Sudan.

Spokesperson of the ministry, Tope Elias-Fatile, confirmed the report in a WhatsApp message on Thursday in Abuja.

“The Ministry has received the sad news of the untimely death of the Immigration Attache in our Mission in Khartoum, Sudan.

“We are awaiting further and detailed report from the Mission after which a statement would be issued,” Elias-Fatile said.

Reuters had reported that the police were investigating the incident, but provided no details on how he died.

It cited al-Arabiya television of Dubai to have identified the diplomat and described his death as an “assassination.”

Dubai-based al-Arabiya television identified the diplomat as the consul general and described his death as an “assassination.”

Reports on social media suggested that the killers used a knife in the attack.

Though intermittent violence is common in Sudan’s warring southern and western regions, violence in the capital is rare.

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has, in recent months, shaken up the security establishment, replacing the heads of the army and intelligence service in February.

They said he had apparently been killed and that an investigation was underway.