UN chief, António Guterres, has welcomed the release of the 344 Kankara schoolboys in Katsina state.
He, however, called for the “immediate and unconditional release of those who remain abducted”.
In a statement issued by his Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, the UN Secretary-General commended “the swift action taken by the Nigerian authorities to rescue the children”.
This, he said while stressing the importance that those children and their families are now “provided with the necessary health and psychosocial support”.
A UN statement said the boys arrived by bus in the capital of Katsina and were met by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.
State authorities are saying that the children were abducted by local bandits, casting doubt on the initial claim of responsibility by militant Jihadist group, Boko Haram.
The UNICEF representative in Nigeria, Mr Hawkins said: “No cause justifies attacks against children and schools.”
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He said that “such cruel disregard for humanity must come to an end”, underscoring that schools be “safe places to study and develop, and learning cannot become a perilous endeavour”.
Hawkins pushed for interventions to ensure school safety so that “all Nigerian children can learn without fear”.
The Secretary-General called for “increased efforts to safeguard schools and educational facilities in the country” and reiterated the UN’s solidarity and commitment in “supporting the Government and people of Nigeria in their fight against terrorism, violent extremism and organized crime”.
NAN
