President Goodluck Jonathan regetted the death and vowed that the killers will face justice.
British Prime Minister David Cameron called Italian Prime Minister Marion Monti to inform him of the “tragic conclusion” of the operation, a statement said last night.
Cameron said the British authorities believed the men’s lives were in “imminent and growing danger” and a rescue attempt was mounted by Nigerian troops with British support.
Cameron added that it looked as if both hostages were killed by their captors before they could be rescued.
Dr Jonathan last night announced the abductors had been arrested. He condoled with the British and Italian governments and the families of the deceased.
Gunmen abducted the two engineers from their lodgings in Birnin Kebbi on May 12, 2011.
McManus and Lamolino were engineers working with Italia construction company Stabilini Visioni Limited. They were involved in the construction of the state headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The Italian government said the rescue attempt was carried out because the authorities believed it was the “last window of opportunity to save the hostages’ lives”.
The “horde of gunmen” who kidnapped them stormed their apartment in Birnin-Kebbi.
Their German colleague managed to escape by scaling a wall, but a Nigerian engineer was shot and wounded in the raid.
In a video received by the Mauritanian News Agency in December, masked gunmen threatened to execute the British hostage if their demands were not met.
The Mauritanian agency claimed that the captors belong to a Nigerian group inspired by al-Qaeda. Mr Cameron has not specified the identity of the kidnappers. The family of the slain British hostage, in a statement yesterday, said:
“Our son Chris was abducted in northern Nigeria on May 12 last year. As a family, we are of course devastated by the news of Chris’ death which we received earlier today. During this ordeal, we have relied heavily on the support of our family and friends which has never waned and has enabled us to get through the most difficult of times.
“We are also aware of the many people who were working to try and have Chris returned to our family, and his girlfriend. We would like to thank all of them for their efforts.
“We knew Chris was in an extremely dangerous situation. However, we knew that everything that could be done was being done. Our thoughts are also of course with the loved ones of Chris’ colleague, Franco Lamolinara, who are also coming to terms with this truly sad news.
“We now need time to grieve and come to terms with our loss. We would therefore be grateful if you would respect our privacy at this most difficult of times.”
Chris McManus is from the north west of England. Last December, a Nigerian group calling itself “al-Qaeda in the land beyond the Sahil” announced it had captured Mr McManus.
It released a hostage video to Nouakchott News Agency, claiming it had kidnapped the Briton and showed a blindfolded and bearded man in an orange vest. Three men in dark clothing stood behind him armed with rifles and a machete.
It was reported that the man pictured in the video called for the British Government to respond to the demands of the group, so they would spare his life.
He also asked for the British people to pressure the Government to answer the demands of the group so he could return to his family.
McManus’s Italian colleague Lamolinara had worked in Nigeria for around 11 years. They were engineers with the construction company Stabilini Visinoni Limited.
In September 2008, two Britons were held by the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta. A Scottish oil worker was abducted and his guard killed in April 2009, in the Port Harcourt.
Three Britons and a Colombian were kidnapped in January 2010 and in November of the same year, four men from the U.S., Canada and France were taken 7.5 miles offshore on the Okoro field.
In January last year, two French hostages were kidnapped from Niamey, the capital of neighbouring Niger to Nigeria’s north.
It is not immediately clear when the men were killed and Mr Cameron’s statement did not specify whether the rescue attempt was underway when the murders took place.
Mr Cameron said he had authorised the failed rescue bid after receiving information on their location and that their lives were in imminent danger.
He said: “Chris McManus, a British citizen, was taken hostage by terrorists in Northern Nigeria in May 2011. He was taken hostage with his colleague, an Italian national, Franco Lamolinara.
“Since then, we have been working closely with the Nigerian authorities to try to find Chris and Franco, and to secure their release.
“The terrorists holding the two hostages made very clear threats to take their lives, including in a video that was posted on the internet. After months of not knowing where they were being held, we received credible information about their location.
“A window of opportunity arose to secure their release. We also had reason to believe that their lives were under imminent and growing danger.
“Preparations were made to mount an operation to attempt to rescue Chris and Franco. Together with the Nigerian Government, today I authorised it to go ahead, with UK support.
“It is with great regret that I have to say that both Chris and Franco have lost their lives. We are still awaiting confirmation of the details, but the early indications are clear that both men were murdered by their captors, before they could be rescued.
“Our immediate thoughts must be with Chris and Franco’s families, and we offer them our sincerest condolences. Both families have endured a terrible ordeal, and this is a devastating moment for all of them.
“The Foreign Office have been in regular contact with the McManus family since Chris’s capture. I spoke to them just before Christmas and I have spoken to them again with the news this afternoon.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank the Nigerian authorities, and President (Goodluck) Jonathan personally, for all they have done to help find Chris, and combat terrorism.
“I also want to pay tribute to all those, including UK personnel, who worked so hard to try to bring Chris home safely. I am very sorry that this ended so tragically. I ask that the media respect the family’s privacy and allow them time to come to terms with their loss.
“Terrorism and appalling crimes such as these are a scourge on our world. No-one should be in any doubt about our determination to fight and to defeat them.”
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