UN urges Nigeria to act against mass kidnappings

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
The United Nations has urged Nigeria to take all lawful
measures to halt a recent surge in mass kidnappings, ensure
the safe return of those abducted, and bring the perpetrators
to justice. The appeal follows the abduction of hundreds of people,
mostly school children, in a matter of days in November
twenty twenty five recent abductions since November seventeen, at least

(00:28):
four hundred two people, most of them school children, have
been abducted across the states of Niger, Kebbi, Quara and Borno.
Only eighty eight have reportedly been freed or escaped captivity
targeting schools. The recent kidnappings have specifically targeted educational institutions,

(00:49):
including Saint Mary's School in Papery, Niger State, whereover three
hundred students and teachers were taken. This has prompted the
UN to stress that schools should be saying schuaries for education,
not targets security concerns. The escalating security crisis has led
to school closures in several parts of the country. Perpetrators.

(01:12):
Mass kidnappings in Nigeria are mostly carried out by criminal
gangs seeking ransom payments, though the country also deals with
a long running extremist insurgency, primarily Boko Haram and an
ISIS branch Safe School's Declaration. UN officials, including Deputy Secretary
General Amine Muhammad, have called for the full implementation of

(01:35):
the Safe School's Declaration, which Nigeria endorsed in twenty fifteen
humanitarian concerns. The UN World Food Program WFP has worn
that the violence compounded by funding shortages, could lead to
a severe food in security crisis, affecting almost thirty five

(01:55):
million people and potentially allowing insurgent groups to exploit hunger
and desperation to strengthen their influence. UNICEF continues to work
with local partners to strengthen child protection systems in line
with the declaration that no child should be put at
risk while pursuing an education.