The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in a statement on Monday by its spokesman, Aleksandra Mosimann, condemned the killing of the midwife by the Boko haram, and described the action as sad while calling for the immediate release of the two others still in captivity.

The statement read, “The International Committee of the Red Cross condemns in the strongest terms the tragic killing of its abducted colleague Saifura Khorsa.

 “It is appealing to the armed group to immediately release a second ICRC midwife and another health care worker taken in north-eastern Nigeria in March.”

The statement quoted the head of the ICRC delegation in Abuja, Eloi Fillion, as saying the murder was devastating.

He said, “Saifura moved to Rann to selflessly help those in need. Our thoughts are with her family and other loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.

“At the time of their abduction, Saifura, as well as our colleague, Hauwa Mohammed Liman,  and Alice Loksha, a nurse working in a UNICEF-supported centre, were providing essential antenatal care to communities in Rann, whose population has more than doubled after an influx of people fleeing violence.”

“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,” Fillion stated.

Since the women’s abduction six months ago, the ICRC said it had made sustained and committed efforts to secure the three healthcare workers’ release, stressing that it would continue to do everything in its power to ensure that Liman and Loksha were released and returned to their families immediately.

ICRC, in another statement by its Communication Officer, Eleojo Akpa, said it condemned the murder. It asked the Boko Haram insurgents to release another two workers still in their captivity.

Meanwhile, the United States has condemned the murder of Khorsa, describing it as a heinous and inhuman act.

The US embassy in Nigeria in a statement said, “We utterly condemn this heinous and inhuman act and stand in solidarity with the ICRC and all those who work in service with the Nigerian people.”

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, condemned the killing of Saifura.

A statement by Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, said, “The government of Nigeria strongly condemns this reprehensible and inhuman act. No religion permits the killing of the innocent.”