Christian aid worker abducted from his home in Niger

An American Christian aid worker has been abducted from his home in the town of Abalak in Niger by armed men last Friday. A night guard and a national guard stationed at his house were reportedly killed.

Jeffery Woodke has lived in Niger since 1992. He has been working with a local NGO known as JEMED and he has close ties with the Christian aid group, Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Woodke works alongside JEMED to aid Tuareg and Fulani nomads in drought-stricken regions.

"It is not known where he has been taken and no group has yet claimed responsibility for his abduction," Pete Thompson, a spokesman for YWAM, told The Independent.

He said that Woodke's family has already been informed about his abduction and the U.S. government is now monitoring the situation.

Woodke was reportedly driven away in a Toyota Hilux pickup truck headed towards Mali. Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum said that Niger forces are already on the trail of the abductors.

Ahmed Dilo, the town mayor, told Reuters that gunmen on a motorbike arrived first to kill the guard before Woodke was taken away.

Reuters reported that Woodke was listed as an instructor on the website of The Redwood Coast School of Missions, a ministry based in Arcata, California. The entry for his biography has since been removed.

A cached copy of the website states: "Jeff has spent over a quarter of a century involved in missions ministry. He has committed the past 25 years of his life to a ministry he founded in Niger amongst a number of unreached people groups."

Woodke was reportedly the first American citizen to be kidnapped in Niger. Suspected Islamists tried to kidnap U.S. embassy personnel from a hotel in the town of Tahoua back in 2009.

Abductions of foreigners are less common in Niger than in Mali. In the latter, Islamic militants are more active and often take hostages for ransom or political leverage.