UN condemns attack and kidnapping of Nigerian school children

The UN has strongly condemned Friday’s attack on a secondary school in Katsina State of Nigeria, and the reported abduction of hundreds of students by suspected armed bandits.

The Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the immediate and unconditional release of the abducted children and for their safe return to their families, Stéphane Dujarric, his spokesman, said.

On Friday, armed men with AK-47s stormed a public secondary school in Kankara district at about 9:40 pm local time, the Nigerian Vanguard Newspaper reported.

According to the report, hundreds of students are still unaccounted but Nigerian police and the military were still working to determine how many were kidnapped.

Meanwhile, Antonio Guterres reiterated that attacks on schools and other educational facilities constitute a grave violation of human rights.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has also condemned the abduction and called for the immediate release of the boys.
“UNICEF condemns in the strongest possible terms this brutal attack and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all children and their return to their families,” UNICEF said in a statement.

“UNICEF is deeply concerned about these acts of violence. Attacks on schools are a violation of children’s rights. This is a grim reminder that abductions of children and widespread grave violations of children’s rights continue to take place in northern Nigeria,” the statement read.

“Children should feel safe at home, in schools, and in their playgrounds at all times. We stand with the families of the missing children and the community affected by this horrifying event.”

“We acknowledge the efforts by the Government of Nigeria in undertaking all efforts for the safe return of the missing children.