A British aid worker, Ian Squire, kidnapped last month in southern Nigeria has been killed and three others freed, the UK Foreign Office has said.
Squire, an optician, was one of four Britons working for a medical charity in the Niger Delta when taken.
Suspected militants stormed the rural community of Enekorogha at Burutu in Nigeria’s Delta State on October 13.
British and Nigerian authorities successfully negotiated the release of Alanna Carson, David Donovan and Shirley Donovan. A ransom was demanded, but it is unclear if it was paid.
Locals in the community have claimed a small criminal gang, who recently held a local politician hostage, were behind the attack. The group are yet to take responsibility.
According to reports, Dr and Mrs Donovan have lived in Nigeria for the past 14 years, running a charity called New Foundations, which gives aid to remote villages in the Niger Delta.
Mr Squire had been specifically drafted in alongside Ms Carson to carry out hundreds of planned cataract operations in January next year.
Ms Carson, a Specsavers optometrist, is now staying with her family in Northern Ireland, according to her employer in Leven, Fife.
Relatives of the four said they were "delighted and relieved" that Ms Carson and Dr and Mrs Donovan had returned safely.
"Our thoughts are now with the family and friends of Ian as we come to terms with his sad death," they said in a statement issued on their behalf.
The Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential travel to much of Delta state, saying there is a "high threat of criminal kidnap".
It said Nigerian authorities were investigating the kidnapping, adding: "Our staff will continue to do all we can to support the families."
