President Buhari spoke with Peter Maurer, the President of the ICRC, extending condolences on the loss of the midwife.
Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye and Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President Bukola Saraki and Amnesty International have condemned the killing of Hauwa Liman by the Boko Haram terrorist group.
READ ALSO: Boko Haram: Senate summons security chiefs
The death of Liman was confirmed by the Federal Government Monday.
She was kidnapped alongside others in March in Rann, Borno State, when the insurgents launched an attack on a camp for displaced persons.
One of the kidnapped aid workers, Saifura Khorsa, was also killed last month.
After the September murder of Ms Khorsa, the Boko Haram released a video threatening to kill Ms Liman and Leah Sharibu, one of the schoolgirls abducted at Government Secondary School, Dapchi in Yobe State last year.
Meanwhile, President Buhari, yesterday, spoke with Mohammed Liman, father of the slain Hauwa.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement said, Buhari in a telephone call, commiserated with the family and assured the deceased father that the Nigerian government did everything possible to save his daughter’s life, expressing sadness that all the efforts turned out unsuccessful.
The statement said Buhari regretted that Hauwa’s commitment to helping victims of the Boko Haram insurgency ended in such a brutal way.
President Buhari also spoke with Peter Maurer, the President of the ICRC, extending condolences on the loss of the midwife.
According to the president, Nigeria needs the ICRC and the government will continue to do all it can to protect staff of the organisation and other aid workers that are providing much-needed humanitarian services in the North-East region, which had been affected by almost a decade-long conflict.
READ ALSO: ICRC confirms death of abducted midwife, Hauwa Mohammed
Red Cross
Yesterday, the ICRC’s regional director for Africa, Patricia Danzi, in a statement described the killing as utterly devastating and heartbreaking.
The statement was published by the ICRC on its website, Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s utterly devastating that we have to write that sentence. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) received information indicating that Hauwa Mohammed Liman has been killed by her captors in a despicable act of cruelty.
“Hauwa is the second abducted health worker in Nigeria to be murdered in the last month.
“The news of Hauwa’s death has broken our hearts,” said ICRC’s Regional Director for Africa, Patricia Danzi.
“We appealed for mercy and an end to such senseless murders. How can it be that two female healthcare workers were killed back-to-back? Nothing can justify this.
“Hauwa, 24, was full of life, becoming a midwife at an early age. People who knew her described her as a sociable, dynamic and enthusiastic woman who was much loved by family and friends. She was truly dedicated to her work helping vulnerable women in her family’s home area.
US reassures FG on battle against ISIS
The United States said it would continue to stand in solidarity with the Federal Government in its fight against ISIS-West Africa.
It restated its commitment to the war against insurgency in a condolence message issued in Abuja over the death of Liman.
In the statement issued by the United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, Public Affairs Section, the United States said it will work with Nigeria to prevent tragedies such as Liman’s.
Amnesty International said the aid workers must be protected from attack as provided under the international humanitarian law.
Also, Saraki mourned the death of the aid worker and tasked the government on security.
In posts on his Facebook and Twitter pages, Mr. Saraki described the murder as a callous and ungodly act.
“As I said on the 18th of September 2018, humanitarian workers, who go into troubled spots to alleviate people’s suffering are some of the most courageous and selfless people on the planet. They are #NotATarget,” Mr Saraki said.
The senate leader promised that the Nigerian Senate will remain committed to working with the Armed Forces to find a lasting solution to the unlawful killings by insurgents and improve the security infrastructure. In his reaction, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, called on the Federal Government to take necessary action to rescue others in Boko Haram captivity.
“I’m deeply saddened by the murder of Hauwa Leman, an ICRC aid worker, by terrorists. I implore the Federal Government to deploy every reasonable tool at its disposal to bring Leah Shuaibu and all the children in Boko Haram captivity home,” he wrote on his verified Twitter handle.