UNICEF Condemns Attack on Nigerian School, Urges Expedited Action to Rescue Abducted Students

A devastating attack on the Government Day Secondary School Kaya in Zamfara State, north-west Nigeria, has left 100 students and a teacher abducted, with 23 students eventually escaping and returning home. The victims, aged between 14 and 19, were taken from their school just a few days after a group of kidnapped students from a school in Niger State, north-central Nigeria, were freed. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has strongly condemned the attack, emphasizing the need for authorities to take immediate action to rescue the abducted students and reunite them with their families.

Key Takeaways:

• 100 students and a teacher were abducted from the Government Day Secondary School Kaya in Zamfara State, north-west Nigeria.
• 23 students escaped and returned home, two of them with bullet wounds.
• The abducted students are aged between 14 and 19.
• UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, condemned the attack, calling on authorities to take expedited action to rescue the students.
• Hawkins emphasized that attacks on schools and abduction of learners are a gross violation of children's rights, with potential long-lasting effects on mental health and overall well-being.
• Hawkins reiterated that schools must be safe, and no child should experience harm for attending school, nor should any parent come to grief for sending their children to learn.

Statistics:

• 100 students and 1 teacher were abducted from the Government Day Secondary School Kaya in Zamfara State, north-west Nigeria.
• 23 students escaped and returned home, with 2 of them suffering from bullet wounds.
• The abducted students are aged between 14 and 19.
• The attack occurred just days after a group of kidnapped students from a school in Niger State, north-central Nigeria, were freed.

Sources:

• Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UNICEF Nigeria.