Abducted IRC Official Regains Freedom
Alkali was held for 174 days by insurgents of the Islamic State West Africa Province.
A staff member of the International Rescue Committee, Alkali Imam, who was abducted by non-state actors last March, has been released, officials have told HumAngle.
Imam was abducted on March 10, 2022, by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) during an attack on the town of Monguno, where he was working in Northeast Nigeria.
He was one of the three civilians who went missing during the attack.
“These individuals were all employed to support vital humanitarian relief efforts in the region. The IRC is deeply concerned for the safety of the missing persons and is fully cooperating with the relevant authorities,” the humanitarian organisation had stated after the incident in March.
A top security official in Borno State, who was familiar with the matter, informed HumAngle that the released humanitarian worker is currently in their custody in Maiduguri.
“He is currently in our office here in Maiduguri where he is undergoing some routine debriefing and medical check-up before he would be rejoined with his family later,” said the security source who prefers not to be named as he was not cleared to talk to the press.
An IRC official who also spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed to journalists on the phone that Imam “has indeed been released, but we have not officially met him because he is still undergoing some procedure with the security people”.
Imam had worked as a journalist with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) before he joined the humanitarian services.
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