“No child should be put at risk while pursuing their education” UNICEF said, emphasizing that classrooms must remain places of safety and not of fear.
According to local reports, one of the kidnapped schoolgirls managed to escape and is now safe, while another student who was not taken also fled during the incident.
Speaking at the daily noon press briefing in New York, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq called for rapid release of all abductees.
UNICEF offered its condolences to the affected families, expressed solidarity with the community and wished a full recovery to the injured.
Call for protection
The agency stressed that students, teachers and educational institutions must be protected against all forms of violence, in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law. He urged those responsible to be held accountable, in accordance with national and international standards.
Nigeria endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration in 2015, committing to protecting the civilian character of educational institutions and ensuring safe access to learning during conflict.
The Declaration, launched at the first International Conference on Safe Schools in Oslo, Norway, aims to reduce attacks on education and protect learning environments around the world.
UNICEF said it continues to work closely with government partners, civil society and communities to strengthen child protection systems and promote safe and inclusive learning spaces across the country, emphasizing that stronger safeguards can help prevent future tragedies.
Kidnappings hinder learning
Attacks on schools and kidnappings of students remain a major obstacle to learning in Nigeria. A UNICEF report released last year to mark 10 years of the infamous Chibok kidnappings found that only 37 percent of schools in 10 states have early warning systems to detect threats, including violence and armed attacks.
The Minimum Safe School Standards (MSSS) monitoring report revealed stark safety disparities in six main areas: school governance, violence prevention, natural hazards, conflicts, everyday risks and security infrastructure.
The findings highlighted that ensuring that all Nigerian children can learn without fear remains an urgent and unfinished task.
UNICEF reiterated that education is a fundamental right and insisted that the protection of children, teachers and school infrastructure must remain a national and global priority.
We acknowledge The European Times for the information.
