UNICEF Condemns School Abduction, Urges Govt To Tackle Insecurity

The United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF has condemned the incessant cases of children abduction in schools, especially in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Niger.

In a report signed by UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore on Wednesday, the Organisation expressed concern that incidents of abduction appear to be increasing in frequency, raising fears for the safety and wellbeing of the region’s children.

“Already in 2020, according to the latest report of the United Nations Secretary-General on children and armed conflict, 1 in 3 child victims of grave violations has been in West and Central Africa

“On July 5th, 150 students were reportedly abducted from a school in Nigeria’s Kaduna State, marking the latest incident in an alarming spate of attacks against children and abductions, including of students, in parts of West and Central Africa,” it stated.

It stated that in Burkina Faso, attacks against civilians and other violations of international humanitarian law have spiked significantly in recent weeks, adding that more than 1.2 million people, 61 per cent of whom are children, are now displaced because of violence.

The Report stated, “On 5 June, at least 130 civilians were killed in an attack on a village in Yagha Province that lasted for hours. This was the single deadliest attack in the country since the outbreak of violence in 2015.

“So far this month, 178 civilians have been killed, including children. More than 1.2 million people, 61 per cent of whom are children, are now displaced because of violence, a ten-fold increase in just the last three years.

“In Cameroon, members of an armed group attacked a religious center in Mamfe on 6 June, killing a 12-year-old boy and wounding a 16-year-old boy.

“Attacks on civilians, abductions and killings of school children and teachers are on the rise across the northwest and southwest parts of the country.

“We estimate that 1 million children in Cameroon need protection from violence. “