Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has expressed sadness over the execution of aid workers by Boko Haram insurgents, describing the victims as heroes who were serving humanity.
Zulum’s spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau, said in a statement on Thursday that the governor was informed of the execution on Wednesday evening while he was at headquarters of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Abuja to discuss the introduction of the civil-defence volunteer programme and the deployment of more agro- rangers to secure farmers in Borno State.
The insurgents had released a video which showed five blindfolded aid workers, with four of them, shot at close range, while one was spared even though he was also positioned for execution. The five aid workers were abducted weeks back during a humanitarian mission to support Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
“Governor Babagana Umara Zulum is deeply pained and extremely worried by the gruesome execution of the aid workers who lost their lives while trying to save IDPs through humanitarian activities.
“The governor mourns these heroes and shares the grief of their families and employers, which are Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Action Against Hunger, Reach International, International Rescue Committee, and condoles with the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)”, the statement said.
The statement also added that the governor wants fresh ideas that would be the way out of the insurgency.
“Governor Zulum wants new thinking that would hopefully stop these endless killings. We cannot continue to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result,” the statement further said.
