Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on phonecall with President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria

The Secretary General spoke today by phone with President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria. He called to personally express his deep concern at the fate of the recently kidnapped schoolgirls in Borno State and to express his solidarity with the people of Nigeria, and especially the girls' families.

The President briefed the Secretary-General on the current state of the search for the abducted girls.

The President accepted the Secretary-General's offer to send a high-level representative to Nigeria to discuss how the United Nations can better support the Government's efforts to tackle the internal challenges.