Nigerian children traumatised after their abduction need urgent and specialised help to recover from their ordeal, UN experts say.
Their statement comes a day after 279 girls were released following their recent kidnapping from a school in north-western Zamfara state.
It was the third school kidnapping since December in northern Nigeria by criminal gangs known to demand ransoms. In all three cases the pupils have now been freed.
“Social inclusion of these children requires the provision of long-term measures aimed at restoring their physical and psychological well-being,” the experts said.
They pointed to the mass kidnapping in December at a boys boarding school in Kankara in Katsina state as an example of how things had gone wrong.
“There has still not been an impartial, independent investigation into the abductions nor specialised rehabilitation for the children after the incident," they said.
“Due to such incidents, many children have not returned to class and some schools have already closed down in the border areas out of fear of reoccurrence. This may mean an end to education for these children.”
Kidnapping is a widespread criminal enterprise in Nigeria - and happens on an almost daily basis.
The UN experts said this was of particular concern when it came to abducted women and girls.
“We are alarmed at reports that an unknown number of women and girls have been abducted in recent years, and subjected to domestic servitude, forced labour, sexual slavery through forced marriages, forced and unwanted pregnancies.”
They reminded the Nigerian government that it had international legal obligations to protect the right to life, liberty and security of a person “as well as the obligation to adopt effective measures and policies to prevent exploitation”.
Latest Stories
-
Gunmen in Nigeria kidnap about 100 in weekend attacks
39 mins -
Aftermath of soldiers killings: Bloodbath in Delta, villagers flee, hide in forests
57 mins -
Evergrande: China property giant and its founder accused of $78bn fraud
1 hour -
All set for ‘Detor – The Rise of A Warrior Hunter’ premiere
1 hour -
Obaapanin Grace Duoduwaa aka Ogrey
2 hours -
How to heal your heart after you’ve been left
3 hours -
Joy FM’s Eastern Camp Adventure: Discoveries, experiences, excitement!
3 hours -
There are 3 types of divorced men — and only one is relationship material
3 hours -
More than 79,000 Ghanaian girls 12 -17 years married, living with men
3 hours -
Tamale water crisis forces students out of school
3 hours -
Religious leader urges participation in 2024 election; calls for support for Aflao community
3 hours -
Who followed up when Elon Musk closed Twitter’s Ghana office – Sam Georges questions government
3 hours -
‘Only God can change this place’: Haitians see no end to spiralling violence
4 hours -
SB4: Supreme Court blocks Texas police from arresting migrants
4 hours -
Trump unable to get $464m bond in New York fraud case, his lawyers say
4 hours