THE Federal Government said it was saddened by the execution of Hauwa Leman, 24, a midwife and nurse executed by the Boko Haram terrorists on Monday, October 15, 2018.
Hauwa worked with the International International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at the time of her abduction along with her colleagues, Saifura Ahmed and Alice Ngaddah in March this year.
The Federal Government said it was taken aback that despite the actions taken by the government and the widespread appeal to save the young woman, she was executed.
In a statement issued in London on Monday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, described the killing as dastardly, inhuman and ungodly, saying nothing can justify the shedding of the blood of innocent people.
He commiserated with the family of the aid worker, and said the Federal Government did all within its powers to save her life.
”It is very unfortunate that it has come to this. Before and after the deadline issued by her abductors, the Federal Government did everything any responsible government should do to save the aid worker.
”As we have been doing since these young women were abducted, we kept the line of negotiations open all through. In all the negotiations, we acted in the best interest of the women and the country as a whole.
”We are deeply pained by this killing, just like we were by the recent killing of the first aid worker. However, we will keep the negotiations open and continue to work to free the innocent women who
remain in the custody of their abductors,” the Minister said.
Also, the Amnesty International said the execution of 24-year old Hauwa by the terrorists must not go unpunished.
It noted that the terrorists group has again demonstrated its brazen disregard for the sanctity of human life, noting that “Under the international humanitarian law, aid workers must be protected from attack and must not under any circumstance be targeted.”
In the same vein, the BringBackOurGirs (BBOG) movement also condemned the killing of Hauwa by Boko Haram.
“We had been monitoring the situation since their abduction 228 days ago. We have since made numerous demands to the government asking for actions that will ensure their safe return, during a number of marches and as contained in our letter to the President earlier today,” said Nifemi Onifade, Spokesperson of BBOG in a statement on Monday.
“For Alice Ngaddah, Leah Sharibu, our 112 #ChibokGirls and others in captivity, it is not too late. We will go ahead with a planned protest to the Presidency tomorrow to carry our increased demand to the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We ask that members of the public join us tomorrow as we set off from Unity Fountain at 9am. We also and ask for prayers for Hauwa’s family, her colleagues and others in captivity,” she added