A PROMISING young footballer has been tragically murdered by kidnappers after his family struggled to raise enough money to pay the ransom.
The Senegalese football community is in mourning, after the death of 18-year-old Cheikh Toure was confirmed on Saturday.
The Ministry of African Integration and Foreign Affairs of Senegal released a statement announcing the murder of the young goalkeeper, after he was found lifeless in Ghana.
Cheikh had trained at the Esprit Foot Yeumbeul.
He was kidnapped after being tricked by a group of armed extortionists, who made him believe he was attending a trial to join a professional club.
The scam led to Cheikh being held hostage by his captors, who then demanded a ransom from his family in exchange for his release.
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Unfortunately, the family’s efforts were in vain, and the criminals carried out their threat and killed the teen.
The Senegalese authorities have opened an investigation into Cheikh’s kidnapping and death in collaboration with the Ghanaian police.
The joint task force hopes to shed light on the exact circumstances of the tragedy.
Cheikh’s body is currently in the process of being repatriated to Senegal, French Football Weekly reported.
In a public statement, a spokesperson from The Ministry expressed its “deep compassion to the grieving family”.
The spokesperson said the investigation was being carried out “with the greatest attention and priority”.
The authorities have strongly urged clubs, supervisors and parents to “exercise extra caution in the face of unverified offers of tests or transfers abroad”.
A press release also said that young athletes in Senegal should “always go through official circuits and obtain information from the sports authorities before any trip”.
Cheikh’s death comes as human remains were found in the search for a missing 23-year-old beauty queen who vanished without a trace.
Miss USA hopeful Kada Scott was allegedly kidnapped by Keon King, 21, after she worked part of a night shift at the beginning of October.
King has been accused of picking her up from The Terrace at Chestnut Hill nursing home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and being with her when her phone went dark.
He turned himself in on Tuesday after cops announced that he’d been charged with kidnapping.
Philadelphia police have now recovered human remains, believed to be those of Scott, in a shallow grave behind an abandoned building.
Cops made the grim discovery on the grounds of the shuttered Ada H. Lewis Middle School in the East Germantown neighborhood on Saturday.
Officials said it came after a “very specific” anonymous tip the night prior, ABC reported.
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Police investigators combed the area following the tip, and after clearing away some debris uncovered fresh dirt and a “strange smell”.
Authorities are awaiting official confirmation that the remains are Scott’s.
