President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the killing of four aid workers by members of the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Borno State.
Reports emerged on Friday that four out of the remaining five abducted aid workers of Action Against Hunger (AAH), an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), were killed.
Ahmed Salkida, a journalist close to Boko Haram insurgents, exclusively reported the incident on Twitter.
Okay.ng recalls that six aid workers, five male and a female, were kidnapped by members of the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) after their convoy was attacked in Damasak, Borno state, in July.
One of the aid workers, a male, was killed in September. The insurgents alleged that they took the action because “the government deceived them”.
Salkida in his latest revelation said the remaining aid worker, Grace Taku, who is the only female, has not been killed but condemned to a “life of slavery”.
He quoted the insurgents as saying the execution of the four aide workers followed the breakdown of talks with the federal government.
He tweeted, “ISWAP executes four more, releases video. All four are male humanitarian workers of Action Against Hunger abducted since July, 2019. The only female amongst them, Grace Taku, according to ISWAP, is condemned to life of slavery.
“ISWAP claims the execution was as a result of breakdown of talks with the government.
“The government is not sincere and do not respect timelines,” reports an ISWAP source. Taku’s fate is now the same with other Christian female captives with the terror group.”
Reacting to this incident in a statement on Saturday, Buhari through his spokesman, Femi Adesina, said “Evil will always be defeated by good at the end of the day. Whatever seeming victory evil records, eventually rebounds on the evildoer. We are resolved to beat evil in this land, and we remain unrelenting till we achieve it.”
Adesina disclosed that Buhari feels saddened by the claimed development, and commiserates with the family and loved ones of the aid workers, who had offered themselves to serve humanity at grave risks.
“He urged all insurgents once again to lay down their arms, and rejoin decent humanity,” Adesina said.
