UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the recent abduction of students from an Islamic School in Tegina town, Niger State.
Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, at a press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York, said Guterres was disturbed by the act.
On Sunday, a police spokesman in Niger said in a statement that gunmen on motorcycles attacked the town of Tegina, in the Rafi local government area of the state.
The attackers were shooting indiscriminately and abducted a yet to be ascertained number of children at the Salihu Tanko Islamic school.
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According to Dujarric, Guterres is disturbed by the development.
“I can tell you that the Secretary-General strongly condemns the abduction of students from the Islamic School in Tegina town, in Nigeria’s Niger State, that took place on Sunday, May 30.
“He is disturbed by the frequency of abductions for ransom of children from schools by extremist groups and criminal networks.
“This is developing into an “abhorrent pattern” with serious impact on the children’s well-being and development, as well as for teachers and families.’’
The Secretary-General reiterated that this constituted a violation of the rights of children to education and underscores the need to hold perpetrators accountable.
Similarly, on Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the kidnapping of children from the school and urged security agencies to do their utmost to rescue the kidnapped kids.
A statement from the State House said Buhari had ordered the nation’s security and intelligence agencies to expedite efforts towards the recovery of the kidnapped school children.
“He also directed that the concerned government agencies extend possible support to the families of the kidnapped children,” the statement said. (NAN)