Tayo AFOLABI
A child group, Save the Children International, SCI, has warned that recurring attacks on schools in the North is a grave violation of child rights.
SCI gave the warning while reacting to the news report on the abduction of about 80 students of the Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, and killing of a Police Officer, by marauding bandits in Kebbi State.
In a press release made available to newsmen in Katsina, Nigeria’s Country Director of SCI, Mercy Gichuhi described as “horrific”, news reports about the incessant abduction of College Students and the attendant disruption of academic activities by bandits in parts of Nigeria.
“Places of learning should never be targets, and children should never be abducted. This is a grave violation of children’s rights, and Save the Children is deeply concerned about the protection of children in the places that should be safest for them.
“Save the Children is horrified by reports that 80 students have been abducted from their college in Kebbi State. Their safety and well-being remain our primary concern, and our hearts go out to them and their families. We call for their immediate and unconditional release and a safe return to their families.
“Just this week, children marked Day of the African Child by calling on leaders to ensure their education and allow them to return to school safely, free from attacks. Even before COVID-19, many children across Nigeria and the continent were shut out of school due to violence. This attack is a grave reminder of how real this threat is,” the statement maintained.
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