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Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
The United Nations said that it was shocked and outraged by a major attack on its facility in northeast Borno State by Boko Haram insurgents at the weekend.
UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon, in a statement Monday strongly condemned the attack on its main humanitarian accommodation at Ngala, Borno Central town last Saturday by the terror group.
“I am outraged by the extremely violent attack on this key humanitarian facility where five United Nations staff were staying at the time of the incident,” Kallon said.
The UN chief said the heavily armed Boko Haram militants attacked the facility, a humanitarian hub at Ngala, a town along the Nigerian-Cameroonian border.
He described the attack as a direct target of a complex assault by the insurgents.
“An entire section of the facility was burnt down as well as one of the few vehicles UN agencies rely on for movement and aid delivery,” Kallon disclosed.
He said protective measures deployed to the facility prevented any harm to the staff who were at the facility when the incident occurred. He said the incident has a disastrous effect on the most vulnerable people in the area who depend largely on aid from UN humanitarian agencies and other international aid organisations.
He said aid workers were providing assistance to over 55,000 people in Ngala alone, adding that more than 10,000 displaced persons from neighbouring communities arrived the town in 2019 in search of food, security, water and medication.
He called on Boko Haram to respect the principle of humanity, neutrality, independence and impartiality which the UN agencies stands for in any conflict.
