AMCIT KILLED IN NIGER DELTA

UNCLAS LAGOS 000627 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE PASS DOE FOR DAS JBRODMAN AND CGAY COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS STATE FOR S/CT MTHOMPSON AND JWEBSTER STATE FOR AF/EX, DS/IP/AF, DS/IP/MSG, DS/IP/OPO, DS/IP/FPO, DS/ICI/PII, DS/ICI/CR, DS/DSS, DS/IP/ITA, DS/OSAC, CA/EX, CA/OCS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CASC EPET PGOV ASEC NI SUBJECT: AMCIT KILLED IN NIGER DELTA ¶1. (SBU) AmCit Ricky Wiginton (DPOB 4/15/55, TX, PPT#207509935 issued December 4, 2002) was shot and killed in Port Harcourt at 7:30 a.m. while driving to work today. Wiginton was employed as Operational Manager for Fluids by oil services company Baker Hughes. He had only recently been posted to Nigeria. ¶2. (SBU) Post's American Citizen Services officer has been in touch with Baker Hughes regarding the death. A company representative has already contacted Wiginton's wife as next of kin (NOK, Georgia Wiginton, 286 PR 346, Itasca, TX 76055). The company is working with medical transport company SOS to repatriate the body to Texas. A certificate of death will be issued once Nigerian authorities produce a legal death certificate, and this process may be delayed because of the criminal invesigation of the death. Personal effects are being collected by the employer and will be sent to the NOK. ¶3. (SBU) Baker Hughes sources said an armed passenger on a motorcycle taxi with the gunman riding the pillion approached Wiginton's vehicle from behind. Wiginton was seated in the front passenger seat of his vehicle. The gunman fired one shot, fatally wounding Wiginton, before speeding away. There was no attempt by the assailant to stop the Wiginton vehicle, but the motorcyle might have followed the car for some time after the lone shot was fired. The driver went directly to the Baker Hughes headquarters, and Wiginton died on the journey to the hospital. ¶4. (SBU) Both company and labor sources indicate there have been serious disputes between disgruntled workers and management within Wiginton's division of Baker Hughes since March. One labor source claimed a Baker Hughes driver had been fatally shot as a result of disputes in March. However, it is too early and facts are too sketchy to identify the reason for the murder. ¶5. (SBU) Nigerian police and security officials are investigating the crime and Post Legatt will travel to Port Harcourt tomorrow to liaise with the investigators. BROWNE