More than one aid worker may have been abducted by Boko Haram

Evidence from a voice recording being circulated in Maiduguri has confirmed that more than one aid worker may have been abducted by the Boko Haram last Thursday when they attacked Rann the capital of Kala Balge council area in Borno state.

The phone recording of a female voice speaking in hushed Hausa tones to a friend or relation is believed to be one of the people who were in the camp when the insurgents attacked and abducted some of the health workers into the bush.

The lady referred to as Hauwa Limam, by some of her colleagues working in Monguno was very hysterical while she was communicating with the mention of trucks in Hausa, indicated that they obviously loaded her and her colleagues like “Sefura” also a midwife for shipments into the usual unpredictable captivity.

According to the recording some of her relatives were not supposed to be informed from her last voice call with someone obviously close to her in Maiduguri because they may be on edge to report to her parents who would be terribly devastated.

In the call to a relation or friend, she stated clearly that Boko Haram insurgents had overrun their camp in town and that they were in a truck inside the barracks where they were abducted waiting to be shipped away by the insurgents.

On second voice record, when it was obvious the insurgents had overrun the barracks and she may be killed she said “Call Fatima and tell my parents what has happened, we are being taken away by the insurgents” and everything went silent on the phone.

According to last week reports, about eight soldiers were killed while trying to defend the military base in Rann where the aid workers had gone to take refuge when their post in the IDP camp was overrun by the insurgents who carted away some medicals and workers into the death of the moonlit night.

Impeccable sources close to the humanitarian community told the Nigerian Tribune that until she was contracted to work in Rann on a short-term basis Hauwa was a student of the health education department of the University of Maiduguri.

She had resumed work a few months ago in Kala but may not has disclosed that she was posted to Rann to her relations who may not know she is not in the besieged rather Gomboru Ngala.

It’s possible Hauwa in her early twenties did it deliberately to avoid causing unnecessary panic considering the situation in Rann or to avoid being stopped by her family from going to help out at such outposts where humanitarian agencies pay handsomely for daring to work for them there.

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In the two audio messages, Hauwa was obviously hysterical, repeatedly saying in Hausa that “mun siga uku…..” meaning ‘ we are in trouble, tell my relatives that they have taken us away.”

Meanwhile attempts to get the names of those killed from the UNICEF spoke person Kusali Kubwalo in the region was futile as she said it was out of empathy for the families of the dead that they needed to inform them properly before releasing the line up to their names.

“As I speak to you now, we are trying to get the corpse of the doctor to Abuja but I assure you that as soon as it is right for us to do so you will get the full names of those killed in the attack.” Said Kubwalo.