UN Condemn Kankara School Attack
The United Nations has reacted to the attack on schoolboys at Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State last Friday.
Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-General who condemned the act, called for the release of the schoolboys in a statement by the UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric in New York on Monday.
“The secretary-general strongly condemns the Dec. 11 attack on a secondary school in Katsina State, Nigeria, and the reported abduction of hundreds of boys by suspected armed bandits.
“He calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the abducted children and their safe return to their families.
“The secretary-general reiterates that attacks on schools and other educational facilities constitute a grave violation of human rights.”
Guterres has also urged security agencies to arrest and bring perpetrators of the act to justice. He reiterated the UN’s commitment to supporting the Federal Government and Nigerians in their fight “against terror, violent extremism and organised crime.”
On Friday, a large group of armed men attacked Government Science secondary school in Kankara, shooting local security and abducting about 300 students while some feed to the nearby bushes.
The Katsina state governor, Aminu Masari, said the attack is suspected of having been carried out by bandit gangs.
Meanwhile, The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has also flayed the abduction and called for the boys’ immediate release.
The Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Marie-Pierre Poirier, has expressed solidarity with the students and their communities’ families.
In a statement, the agency said it is “deeply concerned about these acts of violence,” describing attacks on schools as a violation of children’s rights.
The UNICEF also condemned the attack and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all children and their return to their families.”
Poitier said that the violence was a “grim reminder” that abductions of children and widespread grave violations of children’s rights continue to occur in the northern part of Nigeria.
“Children should feel safe at home, in schools, and on their playgrounds at all times.
“We stand with the families of the missing children and the community affected by this horrifying event.”
President Muhammadu Buhari also condemned the bandits’ attack on his party, urging security agencies to go after the attackers leaving no child missing or harmed.
The President also urged the school authorities to audit the population of the students following shootings in and around the school that sent hundreds of them fleeing and scrambling over perimeter walls.
Meanwhile, the social media hashtag #BringBackOurBoys has been trending as Nigerian seeks government and security agencies to halt the ugly situation for normalcy to return to Katsina and the nation at large.
