Killers of Canuck condemned
HALIFAX — Canadian officials are condemning the killers of a Halifax mining executive praised as a much-loved family man and highly talented geologist.
Kirk Woodman, who worked for Vancouver-based Progress Minerals Inc., was found dead Wednesday in Burkina Faso’s Oudalan province.
He had been shot multiple times, Jean Paul Badoum, an official with the west African country’s Ministry of Security, said from the capital Ouagadougou.
The geologist had been kidnapped a day earlier by gunmen as he worked on a gold mining project, but officials have not yet identified the kidnappers, Badoum said.
Woodman was vice-president of exploration for Progress Minerals, according to his LinkedIn page.
“Kirk was a loving and hardworking husband, father, son and brother,” Woodman’s family said in a statement.
“Not a day will go by that he won’t be missed. Our family would like to thank everyone for the love and support we’ve received, but we ask for privacy while we grieve during this difficult time.”
‘DREADFUL NEWS’
Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Sherbrooke, Que., Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland called Woodman’s killing a “terrible crime.” “Canada is absolutely committed to working with the authorities in Burkina Faso to bring those responsible to justice. And I think our first thought today is with his family, with his friends who have received some really dreadful news.”
Badoum said no group had taken responsibility for the kidnapping. The security ministry said Woodman’s body was found alone 100 km from the site where he worked for Progress Minerals.
KIDNAPPED
Woodman was kidnapped Tuesday night during a raid on a mining site in Tiabongou, about 20 km from Mansila in Yagha province.
The prefect of the rural commune of Sebba in that province, Felix Ouedraogo, said the body of a white man riddled with bullets was transferred to a hospital in Dori by defence and security services.
Burkina Faso’s minister of foreign affairs, Alpha Barry, said the government “condemns with the utmost energy this cowardly assassination” and will do what it can to find and punish the killers.
In a statement, Progress Minerals said it was “heartbroken” by the loss. “Kirk was an incredibly accomplished and highly respected geologist with a career spanning over 30 years, with 20 years spent in West Africa. More importantly, Kirk was a kind person, a dedicated father and husband and considered a friend by all who knew him,” said CEO Adam Spencer.
Werner Claessens, a geologist who worked with Woodman in Burkina Faso, said in the days before the kidnapping Woodman had participated in exploratory drilling for rock samples, including an additional well used to create a water well for a small community.