A 30-year-old Christian volunteer with the Nigerian Red Cross Society has been shot dead by gunmen in Sokoto State in northwest Nigeria.
Lydia Nwankwo was killed at around 7 pm on 6 October when her team’s vehicle came under fire on the Kajiji-Shagari road in Shagari County, relatives said. Her team of five was returning from fieldwork in Kajiji, having earlier worked in Tambuwal Local Government Area.
Her sister, Chisom Nwankwo, said Lydia was shot in the chest and died on the spot.
Relatives say she was also working with a development partner supporting the Sokoto State Ministry of Health, helping people affected by terrorist attacks. Another sister, Victoria, told Christian Daily -Morning Star News.
“Lydia did not die because she was rich. She did not die because she was a politician. She died because she chose to go where others refused to go," adding that she had been helping mothers, children and the sick in hard-to-reach areas.
The motive for the attack is disputed. One local resident, Suleiman Ayuba, told the online Christian newspaper she was shot by “Muslim jihadists”. However, the Red Cross in Sokoto described it as a “bandit attack."
Police say they are aware of the incident and that investigations are ongoing.