ABUJA, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- International aid agency Action Against Hunger (ACF) has confirmed that four aid workers abducted earlier by an armed group in northeast Nigeria had been killed.
The four victims were among the six aid workers abducted in mid-July when an unidentified armed group attacked their convoy in the town of Damasak, Borno state.
In a statement reaching Xinhua on Saturday, ACF said it condemns these latest killings in "the strongest terms and deeply regrets that its calls for the release of the hostages have not been acted upon".
An ACF employee, together with two drivers and three Nigerian health ministry personnel were kidnapped on July 18 by the armed group while working on a health project implemented by ACF, according to the statement.
The first hostage to be executed from the group was killed at the end of September, said ACF.
"Action Against Hunger is extremely concerned and calls for the immediate release of its staff member, Grace, who remains in captivity," said the statement.
ACF said it is currently providing food assistance every month to approximately 300,000 people in north east Nigeria who have no access to livelihoods and food.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, has also condemned in a statement the killing of four aid workers.
Kallon described the action as "tragic" and called for immediate release of aid workers still under captivity.
The coordinator decried that humanitarian workers have increasingly become the target of violent attacks in Nigeria, adding seven aid workers were killed this year while 26 others lost their lives since 2011.
