From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has demanded immediate and unconditional release of 21 children abducted last Sunday by armed bandits at a farm in Mairuwa community, Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
UNICEF, in a statement by its Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Cristian Munduate, described the abduction as an attack on the posterity of Nigeria, thus demanding immediate actions by all relevant stakeholders that would culminate in the return of the children.
She was concerned that the tragic incident is another indication of the danger children face by acts perpetrated by people who ought to protect them.
She said: “abduction of children whether at home, school, farm, or anywhere else, is reprehensible. Children should never be the target of violence, especially by anyone who should be protecting them.”
She, thus, called on the authorities to take necessary action to rescue the abducted children and reunite them with their families unhurt, and without delay.
She also also called on the authorities to rescue other persons reported to have been kidnapped on the farm at the same time the children were abducted.
Meanwhile, UNICEF confirmed that it has worked in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. “Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone,” it added.