Nigeria: Abducted aid workers beg for their release in video
Six abducted aid workers with an international charity Action Against Hunger have appeared in a video begging for their release.
The aid workers were kidnapped in Nigeria by Boko Haram terrorists on July 18.
They appeared in good health in the video which has been circulating on social media.
In the video released on Thursday, Grace Taku, one of the aid workers called on the Christian Association of Nigeria to come to her rescue.
Here is transcript of what Taku said in the video.
“My name is Grace, I work with Action Against Hunger, an NGO in Borno State; my base is Damasak. We went to work on Thursday, July 18, 2019. On our way back to Damasak by Keneri/Chamba ward, we were caught by an army called the Kaliphas and they brought us here. We don’t know where we are.
“I want to beg the Christian Association of Nigeria because I am the only Christian among the six of us here. I want to beg CAN to please do something about me to see how I can be released. I call on Borno State.
“I beg Action Against Hunger. We have families, some of us have children. We are Nigerians who are working for Nigerians. I am begging please, I am begging again; please do something to see that we are released because this has happened in the Red Cross before where some ladies were caught, Hauwa and Zipporah. They also asked to be released but because of Nigeria did not do anything about it, they were killed.
“I am begging on behalf of all of us. I don’t want such to happen to us and it also happened again with Leah and Alice, because Nigeria could not do anything about them, they were not released they were also killed.”
Taku was surrounded by five men while making her appeal in the video.
News of death
Meanwhile the Nigerian Presidency has reacted to reports that Leah Sharibu, one of the Dapchi schoolgirls abducted last year has been killed.
Taku said in the released video that “I don’t want such to happen to us and it also happened again with Leah and Alice, because Nigeria could not do anything about them, they were not released they were also killed.”
Many believe she was referring to Leah Sharibu whose family had pleaded for her release.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said in a statement that “The Presidency has been briefed by the responsible government agency about the disturbing video showing our citizens, the humanitarian aid workers held captive. The Presidency has been given assurances that contact is being made and the captors are being talked to.
“Beside these aid workers, there are some others about whom this engagement is about-Leah Sharibu, a religious leader and all the others. These discussions have been ongoing even before this time and what this latest incident has done is to bring urgency to the efforts that the secret service is making.”
Nigeria continues to struggle to address issues of abduction of both locals and foreigners.
Source: Africafeeds.com
