Five aid workers abducted last month in Borno State have reportedly been killed by jihadists. Boko Haram terrorists on Wednesday released a video showing the killing of the five humanitarian workers who were recently abducted in Nigeria's restive Borno state.
The workers, who represented Nigeria's State Emergency Management Agency, Action Against Hunger, Rich International, and International Rescue Committee, were all executed, the video showed. The insurgents had earlier demanded about 500,000 U.S. dollars ransom before the abducted workers could be released.
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President Buhari on Wednesday condemned the murder, vowing that the government would continue to do all it could to "wipe out the remaining vestiges" of the Islamist group, which has dominated the region. Boko Haram's decade-long insurgency has left thousands dead, displaced many more and resulted in a humanitarian crisis in north-eastern Nigeria.
The Boko Haram insurgents, who seek an Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria, have been carrying out attacks on civilian and military facilities in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe despite the efforts of security agencies. This has resulted in the deaths of more than 30,000 people since 2009 and displaced millions of others, mainly in northeast Nigeria.
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Aid workers have frequently been targeted, especially by a Boko Haram splinter group affiliated to the so-called Islamic State group. The killers posted a 35-second video of the executions.
According to the online newspaper Premium Times, in the video of the killings, five hooded armed men stand with the blindfolded hostages. An unidentified voice delivers a speech to "the infidels" telling them to "repeat and turn to God" before one of the gunmen orders the others to shoot their captives.
In strongly worded statements both Action Against Hunger and the International Rescue Committee paid tribute to the workers who were killed. Action Against Hunger said it deeply regretted that its calls for their release had not been answered. International Rescue Committee condemned the killings as "senseless" and "barbaric".
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Paying tribute to its staff member Luka Filibus who, it said, had been "forced to flee his home and was still compelled to alleviate the suffering of children", they demanded the return of his body.
UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria Edward Kallon said "it is unacceptable that those who are trying to help are being attacked and killed. This incident will not deter the international community from providing aid to millions of Nigerians who desperately need assistance in the north-east," he said in a statement.