Admin l Saturday, February 27, 2021
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an open letter to the UN Security Council following almost daily cases of abduction in Nigeria. SERAP sent the letter just as about 319 pupils were abducted on Friday from Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Zafara, less than one week after over 40 students and teachers were abducted from Government Science College, Kagara.
In the letter, SERAP urged the UN and its members to “urgently hold a special session on Nigeria and to visit the country to press the authorities to end continuing abductions of students and the increasing level of insecurity across the country”.
SERAP also called on “the Council and members to treat the failure of Nigerian authorities to prevent and prosecute attacks on students, and to end the growing insecurity in the country as a fundamental breach of the UN Charter and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.”
In the letter signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization noted that attacks on schools and abductions of students are a violation of children’s rights and that Nigeria has legal obligations to ensure the immediate release of the abducted students, teachers and family members, provide the necessary counseling following the traumatic experience, and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
“These abductions and attacks also undermine the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. If not urgently prevented and combated, such attacks may rise to the level of threat to international peace and security. The first ‘purpose’ listed for the United Nations is to maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace.”
