Nigeria: Boko Haram releases video of seized aid worker

By Olarewaju Kola

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) - An aid worker abducted by Boko Haram terrorists on a major highway in northeast Borno State pleaded Saturday on video for authorities to secure his release.

"As Salamu Alaykum [Peace be unto you]. My name is Idris Aloma. I am a worker with UNHCR [United Nations High Commission for Refugees]. I am pleading with the commission to liaise with the government for my freedom," he said in a video message released by terrorists.

Colleagues identified Aloma as the person kidnapped Jan. 3 by terrorists on the northeast Maiduguri-Damaturu highway, which is an epicenter for terror attacks.

Boko Haram has claimed responsivity for most terror attacks in the region for more than a decade and has abducted nearly one dozen aid workers in the area.