The UN representative said schools must remain safe havens for learning, calling on the Federal Government to strengthen security and implement the Safe Schools Initiative.
KaNo —
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, has called for the safe release of the school children abducted in Oyo and Borno States.
The call was made following a meeting with delegation from the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre in Abuja, led by Commandant Dr Samuel Umanah, amid growing concern over the abduction of pupils and teachers and the killing of two educators in separate incidents.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja, after the meeting, the UN official expressed concern over the worsening security situation affecting schools and learning communities across the country.
Schools must remain safe havens for learning and not places of fear. Children should never be a target,” he said.
Fall noted that the recent attacks underscore the urgent need for stronger measures to protect children, teachers and educational facilities from violence and insecurity.
While acknowledging ongoing efforts by the government and security agencies to address the situation, he urged authorities to intensify actions aimed at securing the swift and safe return of all abducted victims.
He also called for those responsible for the attacks and abductions to be brought to justice.
According to him, protecting children’s right to education remains critical, particularly in conflict-affected and vulnerable communities where schools have increasingly become targets of attacks.
Fall further advocated the full implementation of the Minimum Standards for Safe Schools, stronger emergency response mechanisms and a more efficient data-driven approach to safeguarding schools and at-risk children across the country.
“The UN’s collective commitment to promoting safe, inclusive and violence-free learning environments remains unwavering,” he said, stressing the need to uphold children’s right to education “in safety and dignity.
Victims’ Freedom Priority
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has assured Nigerians that efforts are underway to secure the release of pupils and teachers abducted in Oyo and Borno states, describing their safe return as a top national priority.
The government also reaffirmed its determination to defeat terrorism, stating that security agencies are deploying all lawful measures to rescue those in captivity and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Speaking at a special national security media briefing themed “Unite Against Terror” at Radio House, Abuja, on Thursday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said recent attacks on schools represented an assault on the future of the country.
This press briefing comes at a sobering moment in our nation’s history. Recent events in Oyo and Borno states have once again tested our collective resolve as a people.
“The abduction of innocent schoolchildren and their teachers is not merely an attack on families or communities; it is an attack on the future of our nation, on education, and on the values that bind us together as Nigerians,” Idris stated
Speaking on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government, the minister assured citizens that every effort was being made to rescue the victims.
“On behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Federal Government of Nigeria, I wish to assure all Nigerians that the safe return of every child and every teacher currently in captivity remains a top national priority,” he said.
According to Idris, the President had directed security agencies to deploy all lawful means to secure the release of those in captivity.
“The President has made it clear that no child belongs in captivity and that no effort will be spared in ensuring that those responsible for these heinous crimes are brought to justice” he added
” He has directed that every lawful instrument available to the Nigerian state be deployed towards achieving this objective, including the deployment of a specialised rescue team” he stated
“He has also authorised the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards to strengthen security presence across vulnerable communities and forests within the state,” the minister highlighted” he added
While declining to disclose operational details, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said security and intelligence agencies were working in concert to rescue the abducted pupils and teachers and track their abductors.
He said multiple agencies, including the Armed Forces, Department of State Services, Nigeria Police Force, National Intelligence Agency, Office of the National Security Adviser and the National Counter Terrorism Centre, were jointly engaged in ongoing operations involving intelligence gathering, aerial surveillance, community engagement and search-and-rescue missions.
Armed men stormed the Esiele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on Friday, May 15, abducting staff, students and pupils from Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School.
By the weekend, the abductors had beheaded one of the kidnapped teachers, Mr Michael Oyedokun.
On the same day, suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked three schools, including Mussa Central Primary School, Government Day Junior Secondary School, and a SUBEB school, abducting between 42 and 50 schoolchildren from Mussa town in the Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
In a statement signed May 18 by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayon Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu condemned the attacks and killings as “barbaric
He also sympathized with Governor Seyi Makinde and assured that the victims would be rescued.
“The bandits and all their local collaborators will be fished out and made to face the full wrath of the law,” Tinubu stated while renewing his call for the National Assembly to accelerate the establishment of state police” Onanuga stated.
