Secretary-General, Calling for Immediate Release of Students in Nigeria,

Says Schools Must Remain Safe Places to Learn in Peace

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General condemns the shocking massabduction of schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria on 14 April.  He calls for the immediate release of all the girls abducted and their safe return to their families.

The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed about the increasing frequency and brutality of attacks against educational institutions in the north of the country.  The targeting of schools and school children is a grave violation of international humanitarian law.  Schools are, and must remain, safe places where children can learn and grow in peace.

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For information media • not an official record