The United Nations International Children Educational Fund has demanded the release of the over 150 students abducted from the Salihu Tanko Islamiya School in Tegina, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
The Deputy Country Representative of UNICEF Nigeria, Rushnan Murtaza, in a statement appealed for the release of the students.
The statement said: “We are appalled that two weeks after 150 students were abducted from their school, they continue to be held by their abductors.
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“Parents are grieving their children’s ‘disappearance’; siblings are missing their brothers and sisters – these children must be immediately and unconditionally released and safely reunited with their families.
“It is horrifying that schools and schoolchildren continue to be targets of attack – and in this particular incident, even children as young as three years old. We can only begin to imagine how frightened they are, and the impact this will have on their mental health and well-being.”
“We call on the Nigerian government to take all measures to protect schools in the country, and implement the promises made in the Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria Conference in April this year, so that children will not be fearful of going to school, and parents afraid of sending their children to school.
“Schools must be safe places to study and develop, and learning should not be a risky endeavour. There are very few – if any – things more important for any society than ensuring the safe education of its children.”