UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the rescue of the abducted 344 students of Government Science School Kankara in the Kastina State of Nigeria.
Guterres in a note to UN correspondents on Friday lauded the swift action taken by the Federal Government to rescue the students.
He called for the immediate and “unconditional release” of those still in captivity.
The secretary-general stressed the need to provide the children and their families with the necessary health and psychosocial support.
Guterres called for increased efforts to safeguard schools and educational facilities in the country.
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He reiterated the solidarity and commitment of the UN to support the government and people of Nigeria in their fight against terrorism, violent extremism and organised crime.
The schoolboys’ rescue on Thursday night came six days after they were kidnapped from the school on Dec. 11.
Boko Haram had claimed responsibility for the abduction, but the Defence Headquarters dismissed it as the usual propaganda of the terrorist group.
Security experts also did not buy the claim because the kidnap took place in the North West, which is outside Boko Haram’s area of operation.
Welcoming the boys’ return on Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari said it was a “big relief to their families, the entire country and the international community.”
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