UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th December, 2020) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes the release of hundreds of schoolboys kidnapped by the Boko Haram terrorist group in Nigeria and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of those who are still remain abducted, United Nations deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said in a press briefing on Friday.
Earlier in the day, over 300 boys abducted last week from a school in northern Nigeria were freed. The jihadist organization's leader Abubakar Shekau said the abductions were made in the name of islam and against "the Western education."
"The Secretary-General welcomes the release on December 17 of some of the children who were abducted from a secondary school in Katsina State, Nigeria, on December 11," Haq said. "He commends the swift action taken by the Nigerian authorities to rescue the children and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of those who remain abducted."
Guterres stressed it is essential that the released children and their families are provided with the necessary health and psychological support, Haq said.
The UN chief also called for strengthened security for educational facilities in Nigeria and reiterated his solidarity with the West African nation in the fight against terrorism.
