He was kidnapped on 12 May 2011 in a raid by militants from his apartment in Birnin-Kebbi, along with an Italian colleague Franco Lamolinara, from Gattinara, Piedmont, who also worked for B Stabilini.

In August 2011 the kidnappers released a hostage video to a Mauritian news agency, threatening to kill McManus and Lamolinara unless demands were met.

[6] On 6 March 2012, Nigerian security agencies arrested Abu Mohammed, the factional leader of Boko haram, and 4 other members of the sect.

[5] Also, an intercepted phone call from the militants suggested that they were going to move and execute the hostages after they suspected something was wrong due to their leader and the four others being missing.

[5] Personnel from the British Special Boat Service (SBS), supported by their counterparts in the Nigerian Army, launched the operation to free the hostages at 10am Greenwich Mean Time.