FIDA International condemns abductions of children from Nigeria’s schools

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) joined its voice in condemning the now incessant abduction of children from schools in Nigeria.

A statement jointly signed by FIDA International President Carolina Rios Villota and its International Secretary Florence Adokiye Amiesimaka described the trend as worrisome while charging the Federal Government “to be alive to its primary constitutional mandate to ensure the welfare and security of the people.”

The statement reads: “Federacion Internacional de Abagados( FIDA) joins the Country Vice President and all members of FIDA Nigeria to unequivocally condemn the worrisome trend of abduction of children from their schools in Nigeria, and strongly urges the Federal Government of Nigeria to be alive to its primary constitutional mandate to ensure the welfare and security of the people.

“FIDA notes with dismay that the abductions constitute an unacceptable and intolerable criminal violation of the Rights of the Child as recognised by the Federal Government and the various international and regional instruments that Nigeria has rightly endorsed.

“FIDA decries the trauma impact of the abduction and its effects on the mental wellbeing of the children, and calls on the abductors to quickly release them. FIDA further urges the Federal Government of Nigeria to deploy all available resources to not only ensure the timely release of the school children but to also put an end to this deplorable trend.

“FIDA requests the International community to provide support to this process and further require that the Nigerian Government lives up to its duty to ensure the safety of her children.”