ISWAP abducts 3 humanitarian workers, security guards in Borno

The Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP) has reportedly abducted three humanitarian workers and two security guards of the Family Health International (FHI360) in Borno.

FHI 360 is a US-based nonprofit human development and non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to improving the health and well-being of people.

According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, ISWAP fighters in their numbers stormed the guest house of the NGO “in a silent operation at about 4 a.m on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, and whisked them away to an unknown destination”.

The publication said there was no official statement from the organisation since the news of the abduction broke out.

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In 2022, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said many aid workers have either died, been injured, or been kidnapped in north-east Nigeria

While marking the 2022 World Humanitarian Day, the UN said the challenges have not deterred humanitarian workers from ensuring that aid gets to people who need them.

In a video message, António Guterres, UN secretary-general, said the aid workers who dedicate their lives to assist people represent “the best in humanity”.

Guterres added that “against incredible odds, often at great personal risk, they ease suffering in some of the most dangerous circumstances imaginable”.