Olanrewaju Timothy
Families of the aid workers earlier abducted and executed by Boko Haram on Wednesday said they have been thrown into mourning over the incident.
Modu Bulama, brother to Abdulrahman Bulama, one of the five aid workers shown in the Wednesday Boko Haram’s video to have been killed, said the news saddened the family.
“The news brought sadness to us. It is not good. It is very sad. We are mourning,” he told journalists at the family house in Maiduguri.
His elder brother Abdulrahman was a staff of Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMAl) deployed to Monguno in the northern part of Borno before he was abducted with other four aid workers by Boko Haram about month ago. The news of their execution was known on Wednesday following a video released by the insurgents.
His mother Hajja Umma Bulama said she was devastated to speak but attributed her son’s death to an act of God.
“What happen to him is the will of Allah. And I thank the Almighty, I have no grudges against anyone,” she said.
Scores of sympathisers were in the deceased family house on Wednesday.
Borno Governor, Babagana Zulum in his reaction contained in a statement issued by his spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau, expressed his deep pains over the killing of the five aid workers.
“Governor Babagana Umara Zulum is deeply pained and extremely worried by the gruesome execution of the aid workers who lost their lives while trying to save IDPs through humanitarian activities,” he said in the statement.
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, amr Edward Kallon also in a statement condemned the killing of the aid workers. He described the incident as horrified and saddened.
Other international humanitarian organisations including Medicine Sans Frontiers known as Doctors Without Borders have also condemned the killing.
The five slain aid workers were staff of Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Action Against Hunger and Reach International and International Rescue Committee (IRC).