The United Nations has said Boko Haram insurgents killed 27,000 civilians and 24 humanitarian workers in the North East in the last one decade.

The UN Resident Coordinator for Nigeria, Edward Kallon, who spoke yesterday at a photo exhibition to mark the 10th anniversary of the crisis in Abuja, named Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states as the worst hit by the uprising that was yet to abate.

He regretted that over 7.1 million Nigerians were in need of aid, just as about 130,000 people had been displaced.

According to him, the only solution is collaboration to bridge the humanitarian, development, peace and security nexus.

He called on government to compliment military intervention in the region with dialogue for an end to the hostilities.

Head of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria, Edem Wosornu, lamented the needless loss of lives, adding that the agency remained supportive of the Federal Government.

Governor Mai Mala Buni noted that the disaster had worsened the food security situation in Yobe State, adding that his administration was working towards ameliorating poverty, joblessness and ignorance that gave rise to the insurgency in the first place.

•Excerpted from a report by The Guardian.

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