Christian humanitarian worker killed in northwest Nigeria

Lydia Chinenye Nwankwo, a 30-year-old volunteer with the Nigerian Red Cross Society, was killed in an ambush in Sokoto state on October 6, 2026. Nwankwo was traveling with a team of five on the Kajiji-Shagari road following field operations in the Tambuwal Local Government Area when their vehicle came under fire at approximately 7 p.m.

Family members and local sources reported that Nwankwo was shot in the chest and died at the scene. She had been working with a development partner to support the Sokoto State Ministry of Health, providing aid to vulnerable populations affected by regional violence. While the Nigerian Red Cross Society officially described the incident as a bandit attack, some local residents characterized the perpetrators as Muslim jihadists.

Nwankwo’s family noted that she had dedicated her life to serving communities in difficult-to-reach areas. The Sokoto South Division of the Nigerian Red Cross issued a statement mourning the loss of a committed humanitarian who had been working to bring health and food assistance to those in need.