The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was heartbroken when it got the report of the execution of Hauwa Liman.
ICRC’s Regional Director for Africa, Patricia Danzi, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, a day after the news of Hauwa’s death broke.
“The news of Hauwa’s death has broken our hearts,” she lamented while asking government authorities to intensify efforts towards tackling terrorism in the country.
“We appealed for mercy and an end to such senseless murders. How can it be that two female healthcare workers were killed back-to-back? Nothing can justify this.”
Hauwa is the second health worker to be killed by the insurgents in one month.
The terrorists abducted her in an attack on Rann, a town in Borno State, on March 1, 2018.
She was captured together with her colleagues – Saifura Hussaini Ahmed Khorsa, and Alice Loksha.
Saifura was killed on 16 September, while Alice remains in captivity, along with Leah Sharibu, the Dapchi schoolgirl abducted by the insurgents in Yobe State in an invasion in February.
Hauwa and Saifura worked in a healthcare centre supported by the ICRC, while Alice worked at a centre supported by UNICEF.
ICRC said it made sustained and committed efforts to secure the release of the three healthcare workers but to no avail.
It added that these included a last-minute plea for mercy on Sunday to the Boko Haram faction – Islamic State West Africa Province group.
Danzi said, “Hauwa and Saifura’s deaths are not only a tragedy for their families, but they will also be felt by thousands of people in Rann and other conflict-affected areas of north-east Nigeria where accessing healthcare remains a challenge.”
“We urge the group holding Alice and Leah to release them safely,” she pleaded.
The ICRC said Hauwa was killed by her captors “in a despicable act of cruelty”.
It added that the 24-year-old was full of life, becoming a midwife at an early age.
According to the organisation, people who knew her described her as a sociable, dynamic and enthusiastic woman who was much loved by family and friends.
It noted that Hauwa was truly dedicated to her work, helping vulnerable women in her family’s home area.
