Extremist militants abduct health worker in Nigeria’s northeast state

ABUJA, March 17 — Extremist militants early Wednesday kidnapped a local health worker in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Borno, following an invasion of one of the most frequently attacked towns in that part of the country, the state government said.
The health worker, identified as Bulama Geidam, works at the government-run general hospital in the Gubio local government area. He was taken away from his duty post by heavily armed members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group, according to Juliana Bitrus, the commissioner for health in Borno.
The ISWAP militants also looted food items and petrol from a humanitarian truck during the early Wednesday attack, Bitrus told reporters in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno.
“The abducted health worker was among those who remained at their duty posts in spite of the security challenges in the area,” the official said.
Local sources said residents who fled the attack returned to their homes after the insurgents had withdrawn from the town.
The ISWAP has been collaborating with its sister group Boko Haram in an attempt to establish an Islamist state in northeast Nigeria. The terror groups have also extended their attacks to other countries in the Lake Chad Basin. – XINHUA