UN welcomes release of 3 aid workers in Nigeria

ANKARA (AA) - The UN on Thursday expressed relief on the release of a number of civilians including three aid workers who were abducted by armed groups.

Edward Kallon, UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, also urged the release of other detained civilians.

“Despite this encouraging news, I am concerned about the fate of the other civilians abducted in this incident,” he said in a statement.

The victims were abducted along the Monguno-Maiduguri road in late December.

“I also remain gravely concerned for the lives of our ACF 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. The United Nations and its humanitarian partners call for their immediate and safe release,” he stated.

"I am extremely worried by the increasingly insecure environment that humanitarians are working in to provide urgent and vital assistance to civilians affected by the crisis,” he added.

Some 20 aid workers have been killed in crisis-affected Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, according to the UN.

Even though the UN did not name anyone, Boko Haram has been creating unrest in the region for long.