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| ISWAP Fighter |
Islamic
State-aligned jihadists have released five local aid workers abducted last
month in
violence-wracked northeastern Nigeria, security sources and one of those
freed said
Thursday.
The aid
workers were seized along with other passengers in two separate incidents
in December
when fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)
disguised as
soldiers intercepted vehicles on highways outside the Borno state
capital of
Maiduguri.
ISWAP, which
split from the Boko Haram jihadist group in 2016, has focused
on targeting
military installations and troops since mid-2018.
However,
there has recently been an increase in attacks on civilians blamed on
ISWAP.
The
decade-long jihadist conflict in northeast Nigeria has killed 35,000 people and
displaced
around two million from their homes.
The violence
has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting the
formation of
a regional military coalition to fight the Islamists.
A security
source told AFP “the five aid workers were released… after days of
mediated
negotiations with ISWAP” on Wednesday.
The hostages
are local staff of international humanitarian agencies, providing aid to
thousands of
people displaced by the violence in the region, the source said.
Asabe Musa,
a hygiene specialist with ALIMA (Alliance for International Medical
Action), a
French NGO, is among the five freed hostages.
“We were
released by our captors today (Wednesday). Two of us are from ALIMA,
one each
from Red Cross, Solidarity and IOM (International Office for Migration).
“We were
first taken to the DSS headquarters before we were handed over to our
various
agencies,” she told AFP, referring to Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency.
– ‘Deeply
relieved’ –
“We are all
in good health. I and my colleagues are now at ALIMA office here in
Maiduguri
where we are staying for the night.”
The
negotiations for the release were initiated by the DSS, the security source
said.
It was not
clear whether ransom was paid for the aid workers’ release.
A sister of
Asabe Musa told AFP her sibling spoke with their mother on the phone
from the DSS
offices after her release.
“My sister
was allowed to call our mother and confirm her release along with four
others,”
Vicky Musa told AFP.
Asabe Musa
was kidnapped along with two others on December 22 on their way to
Maiduguri
for Christmas from the garrison town of Monguno, 135 kilometres (84
miles) away.
On December
4 ISWAP claimed the abduction of two Red Cross staff along with 12
other
passengers on a separate highway outside Maiduguri.
ISWAP has
increasingly been abducting motorists at checkpoints in Borno state,
targeting
security personnel, anti-jihadist militia as well as Christians.
The United
Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, said he was
“deeply
relieved” at the news of the release.
But he said
in a statement it was unfortunate that aid workers are being targeted by
jihadists in
Nigeria.
“These
dedicated humanitarians were working to provide life-saving support to
millions of
Nigeria’s most vulnerable in north-eastern Borno state…
“I also remain gravely concerned for the lives
of our
colleague
Grace Taku, abducted near Damasak in July 2019, and Alice Loksha, a
nurse and a
mother, abducted during an attack in Rann in March 2018. Both are still
held captive
by non-state armed groups”.
Vanguard
News Nigeria.
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