UN Condemns Killing of Abducted Aid Worker in North East

By Alex Enumah in Abuja

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, has condemned the killing of an aid worker and midwife, Saifura Hussaini Ahmed Khorsa in Northeast Nigeria.

Ms. Hussaini, 25 years old, was abducted on March 1, 2018 in Rann town, Borno State, where she was working with the International Committee of the Red Cross, following a deadly attack by a Non-State Armed Group in which three aid workers were killed. Two other female aid workers were also kidnapped during that incident.

A statement from the Information Office of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator quotes Kallon, as saying that, “The killing of Ms. Hussaini, a young, dedicated and passionate midwife and humanitarian, is a cowardly, heinous and despicable act.

While he sent condolences of the UN to the family of the deceased, including her two young children, and friends, Kallon however, called on the authorities to ensure the perpetrators were brought to justice. He also called for the immediate release of the two aid workers who are still being held.

“This incident demonstrates the severe challenges that Nigeria continues to face, but will not deter the international community from providing aid to millions of Nigerians caught up in the conflict in the north-east. The United Nations stands in solidarity with the humanitarian community,” added Kallon.

According to reports, the humanitarian community is currently providing life-saving assistance, including food, safe water and medicine, to over 60,000 internally displaced people in the camp in Rann, and millions more across the north-east. Some 3,000 aid workers are present in the north-east, the majority of whom are Nigerian nationals.

The report added that the humanitarian crisis in the Northeast, which has spilled over into the Lake Chad region, is one of the most severe in the world today, with 7.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2018 in the worst-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, and 6.1 million targeted for humanitarian assistance.