Mr Kallon, in a
statement released in Maiduguri, said he was utterly shocked and horrified by
the gruesome killing of some of his colleagues and partners by non-state armed
groups in Borno State.
He said the victims
were committed humanitarians who devoted their lives to helping vulnerable
people and communities in an area heavily affected by violence.
“Our colleagues and
partners were abducted while travelling on a main route connecting the northern
town of Monguno with Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
“Their safety and
securing their safe release have been our highest priority since they were
captured in June.
“I strongly condemn
all violence targeting aid workers and the civilians they are assisting. I am
also troubled by the number of illegal vehicular checkpoints set up by
non-state armed groups along main supply routes.
“These checkpoints
disrupt the delivery of life-saving assistance and heighten the risks for
civilians of being abducted, killed or injured, with aid workers increasingly
being singled out.
“This is tragically
not the first killing of kidnapped aid workers. We have repeatedly called for
such devastating fate and blatant violation of international humanitarian law
to never happen again.
“And yet, it does. I
implore all armed parties to step up their responsibilities and stop targeting
aid workers and civilians,” he said.
Mr Kallon said that
all aid workers and the assistance they provide to the most vulnerable
populations made the difference between life and death for entire communities.
According to him,
nearly eight million people are in need of urgent life-saving assistance in
north-east Nigeria at the beginning of the year and today, 10.6 million people
need urgent support as conflict-affected states battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
“At a time when
humanitarian needs have reached unprecedented levels, it is unacceptable that
those who are trying to help are being attacked and killed,” he said.
Mr Kallon said that
the incident would not deter the international community from providing aid to
millions of Nigerians who desperately needed assistance in the north-east.
He said that the
humanitarian community stood in solidarity with the people of Borno, Adamawa
and Yobe states who had suffered long years of conflict and now needed
protection against a deadly virus.
PREMIUM TIMES
reported the killing of the aid workers which has also been condemned by
President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr Buhari, in a
statement by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said that his government will
continue to do all it can to ensure that every remaining vestige of Boko Haram
is wiped out completely from northeastern Nigeria and that the perpetrators of
this atrocity face the law.
President Buhari
also condoles with the State Emergency Management Agency, Action Against
Hunger, Rich International, and International Rescue Committee, whose staff
have suffered this gruesome fate.
“He thanks them for
their continued dedication and service to the victims of Boko Haram in
northeastern Nigeria. He assures them that security agencies in the state will
work closely with their organisations to implement measures to ensure that no
such kidnapping of staff occurs again,” Mr Shehu said.
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