Nigerian hostages plead to save their lives

By Olarewaju Kola

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) - Six aid workers abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria’s restive northeastern region, have sought intervention of authorities to save their lives.

In a video message believed to be released by Boko Haram late Wednesday, hostages were seen pleading authorities to help in their release.

Six humanitarian aid workers went missing after terror group ambushed their vehicle in Borno State in northeastern Nigeria.

The video showed them telling the Nigerian government to "act before, it is too late." It also showed a lady squatted in front of five men in a tent.

Anadolu Agency could not independently verify veracity of the video and the location, where it was recorded.

"Six of us were caught by the armies of Khalifa (Boko Haram group) on our way from Damasak in Borno State on Thursday July 18" the lady who identified herself as Grace said in the video. She asked the Nigerian government to do something immediately.

"We count on our nation Nigeria. We are Nigerians working for Nigeria and its people. We work with a humanitarian organization, the Action Aid Against Hunger. Please do something to see that we are released," she said.

She appealed to government as well as people of Nigeria to intervene, so that they do not meet the fate of other aid workers, who were kidnapped and later killed by Boko Haram.

She was perhaps referring to the kidnaping of three aid workers in March 2018. One of them, Hauwa Mohammed Liman working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was later killed in August, by the terror group.

Boko Haram has kidnapped scores of women and aid workers in troubled northeastern region of Nigeria. Over 200 schoolgirls were abducted in a public school in the southern part of Borno province in April, 2014. Another 110 were also abducted in another school in nearby Yobe province.