“Saifura’s children frequently asked if a passing plane was bringing her home” – ICRC on slain midwife

The International Committee of Red Cross, in reaction to the gruesome killing of Saifura Hussaini Ahmed Khorsa by members of the Boko Haram sect, said both of her children had been asking their grandma of her whereabouts.

Khorsa, a 25-year-old midwife, was shot in the back by the insurgents in a viral video.

She, along with Hauwa Liman and Alice Ngaddah, a nurse working in a UNICEF-supported centre, had been abducted by the insurgents in March, 2018.

They were providing essential antenatal care to communities in Rann, whose population has more than doubled after an influx of people fleeing violence.

The insurgents have now threatened to kill Hauwa and Alice, if the government does not meet its demands.

The ICRC said in reaction to the ugly incident on Monday that it was appealing to the insurgents to immediately release both women.

Eloi Fillion, the head of the ICRC delegation in Abuja, said: “Saifura moved to Rann to selflessly help those in need.

“We urge those still holding our colleague Hauwa and Alice: release these women. Like Saifura, they are not part of the fight. They are a midwife and a nurse. They are daughters, a wife, and a mother – women with families that depend on them,” he added.

ICRC described Saifura as a devoted mother who adored her two children – a two-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl.

“The children have not been able to comprehend their mother’s absence, as they frequently asked their grandmother if a passing plane was bringing their mother home. That grandmother must now find the words to tell two children their mother will never return,” the statement said.

See Also

MTN Group proposes full acquisition of IHS Towers in $2.2 billion deal

“Their families and friends miss them dearly and will not give up the hope of seeing them again soon. There is no ideology or religious law that could justify doing any harm to them.”

The ICRC said it will not comment on the identity of the women’s abductors, their motives or the details surrounding Saifura’s death.

President Buhari has also condemned the killing, saying that Saifura was tirelessly working with the Red cross “to bring succor to all the victims of violence irrespective of the sides of the conflict.”

He called on Nigeria’s international partners and everyone with an influence on the sect to prevail on it “to stop these acts of extreme barbarism.”