Kallon stated that more slain civilians were being recovered almost daily since Saturday when the terrorists coordinated a vicious attack.
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon, has said that farmers in Zabarmari reported that some women and girls were feared abducted by the Boko Haram terrorists while calling for the immediate release of the captives.
Kallon stated that more slain civilians were being recovered almost daily since Saturday when the terrorists coordinated a vicious attack.
The UN chief stated this during his assessment visit to Zabarmari near Maiduguri, Borno State – the location of Saturday’s gruesome murder of over 43 farmers.
Kallon in a statement on Wednesday noted that some families still had missing relations from the Zabarmari incident, adding that the governments at all levels must collaborate to attend to the attendant humanitarian crisis in the region.
The UN coordinator said, “There is no word to describe how I feel after I visited Zabarmari community yesterday. It is with great sadness, but also indignation that I met the families of the victims of Saturday’s violent attack and their communities.
“Details on losses are still coming in, and the search for missing people is still ongoing. More bodies are being recovered. Farmers have also reported that some of the missing women may have been abducted. I call for these innocent women and girls to be immediately released and for their safe return to their communities.
“With more slain civilians recovered almost every day since the attack, it is clear that this was an act of sheer inhumanity and abject cruelty. The perpetrators of this heinous and senseless act should be brought to justice.
“The actions to be taken go beyond a security response. Nigeria is not the only country at grip with violent non-state armed groups in the Sahel. As we see across the sub-region, a security response alone will not be enough to bring peace and security in a state like Borno, which has been facing over a decade of violence. All actors, including the international community, have to join forces and step up support to the people of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
“It is only by working together, saving lives, rebuilding communities, providing new opportunities, increasing peace-building efforts, developing the infrastructure, fostering education, that we will be able to address the root causes of the crisis, reduce insecurity and stop the violence.”