UN body condemns abduction of children in Nigeria, calls for immediate release

The United Nations on Sunday condemned the abduction of hundreds of children students from a boarding school in the northwest of Nigeria and has called for an "immediate and unconditional" release of the children. The UNICEF said that it is "deeply concerned" about the acts of violence still taking place in Nigeria, adding the latest abduction is a grim reminder of widespread violations of children’s rights in the country. 

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"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 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," UNICEF said in a statement.  

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Children's kidnapping

According to Nigerian authorities, armed gunmen on Friday stormed the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Katsina State, and kidnapped over 400 students, which is half the number of children who attended the school on the day of the incident. As per reports, students escaped kidnapping by hiding in bushes and other areas. 

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The unidentified attackers are reportedly using the same tactics as members of another terrorist group called Boko Haram, who on several occasions in the past have attacked schools and villages to kidnap young children as part of their recruiting strategy. The Friday's attack on the all-boys boarding school is believed to have been carried out by bandit gangs, most probably with the same motive of recruiting.  

Amnesty International also called on the Nigerian government to safely and immediately rescue the students, while condemning the attack on the school. The international human rights organisation urged the Nigerian government to implement measures that ensure the safety of children in rural areas, where bandit attacks are common.

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