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Outrage Grows Over Kidnapping of Nigerian Schoolgirls Extremists Kidnap New Group of Girls in Nigeria as Uproar Grows
(about 2 hours later)
Top human rights figures added their outrage on Tuesday to the international uproar over the abduction of more than 200 Nigerian girls taken from a school last month by armed extremists, while unconfirmed reports emerged of another brazen kidnapping of girls from their homes in the same part of the country. ABUJA, Nigeria — Armed extremists in northern Nigeria have carried out another brazen kidnapping of young girls, the United Nations Children’s Fund and a local official said on Tuesday, adding to the international uproar over the abduction of more than 200 girls seized from a school in the same part of the country last month.
Navi Pillay, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, said through a spokesman that Boko Haram, the Islamist group that has waged a war against the Nigerian state, would be held accountable for the kidnappings. The leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau, claimed responsibility for the mass abduction on April 14 in a newly-released video in which he vowed to sell the girls like slaves. Unicef said that the second kidnapping involved at least eight girls who were seized by extremists to prevent them from attending school. It called the latest abduction “an outrage and a worsening nightmare for the girls themselves, and for the families of the more than 200 girls who have been stolen from their communities in the last several weeks.”
Najwa Mekki, a spokeswoman for Unicef in New York, said the agency’s staff in Nigeria had been able to confirm the additional abduction in northern Nigeria’s Borno State.
Hamba Tada, a local official in Gwoza, another town in the area, offered further confirmation and additional details, although his account differed in some respects.
Mr. Tada said 11 girls, 12 to 15 years old, had been abducted from two villages, Warabe and Wala, on Sunday night by members of the Boko Haram extremist group, which has been waging war against the Nigerian state. He said the kidnappers, armed with AK-47 rifles, had not shot anyone but seized grain and livestock from the villagers “while the abducted girls were hurled into an 18-seater bus before they fled.”
“The gunmen only warned the villagers against alerting any security personnel on the abduction of girls,” Mr. Tada said. “They promised to deal with anyone that violates their order.”
The accounts contradicted the police commissioner in Borno state, Lawan Tanko, who denied there had been any new abductions.
The news came as top human rights figures added their voices on Tuesday to the anger over the first mass abduction on April 14..
Navi Pillay, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, said through a spokesman that Boko Haram would be held accountable for the kidnappings. The leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau, claimed responsibility for the mass abduction last month in a newly-released video in which he vowed to sell the girls like slaves.
“We warn the perpetrators that there is an absolute prohibition against slavery and sexual slavery in international law,” Ms. Pillay’s spokesman, Rupert Colville, told reporters at a news briefing. “That means anyone responsible can be arrested, charged, prosecuted, and jailed at any time in the future. So just because they think they are safe now, they won’t necessarily be in two years, five years or 10 years’ time.”“We warn the perpetrators that there is an absolute prohibition against slavery and sexual slavery in international law,” Ms. Pillay’s spokesman, Rupert Colville, told reporters at a news briefing. “That means anyone responsible can be arrested, charged, prosecuted, and jailed at any time in the future. So just because they think they are safe now, they won’t necessarily be in two years, five years or 10 years’ time.”
Cristina Finch, managing director of Amnesty International USA’s identify and discrimination unit, which focuses on women’s human rights, said the abductions reflected what she called “yet another example of the ways in which violence against girls and women affects every aspect of their lives.”Cristina Finch, managing director of Amnesty International USA’s identify and discrimination unit, which focuses on women’s human rights, said the abductions reflected what she called “yet another example of the ways in which violence against girls and women affects every aspect of their lives.”
The kidnappings have gripped Nigeria, ignited a rare antigovernment protest movement and embarrassed the government of President Goodluck Jonathan, which has so far been unable to rescue the teenage girls. They were abducted from their school in a remote corner of northeastern Nigeria by armed and uniformed men, loaded into trucks and driven into a dense forest at night. By some counts 276 remain missing. The mass kidnappings have gripped Nigeria, ignited a rare antigovernment protest movement and embarrassed the government of President Goodluck Jonathan, which has so far been unable to rescue the teenage girls. They were abducted from their school in a remote corner of northeastern Nigeria by armed and uniformed men, loaded into trucks and driven into a dense forest at night. By some counts 276 remain missing.
In the video message claiming responsibility for the abductions, the Boko Haram leader threatened to “sell them in the market,” adding that he would “give their hands in marriage because they are our slaves.”In the video message claiming responsibility for the abductions, the Boko Haram leader threatened to “sell them in the market,” adding that he would “give their hands in marriage because they are our slaves.”
“We would marry them out at the age of 9,” he said. “We would marry them out at the age of 12.”“We would marry them out at the age of 9,” he said. “We would marry them out at the age of 12.”
President Obama and other world leaders have condemned the mass abductions in Nigeria’s northeast state of Borno, which has traumatized Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. Its president, Mr. Jonathan, has struggled over how to battle Boko Haram, which has terrorized parts of Nigeria for years.President Obama and other world leaders have condemned the mass abductions in Nigeria’s northeast state of Borno, which has traumatized Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. Its president, Mr. Jonathan, has struggled over how to battle Boko Haram, which has terrorized parts of Nigeria for years.
Denunciations of the Boko Haram abductions also came from a pre-eminent Islamic theological institute in Egypt, Al-Azhar, which said on Tuesday that the abduction “completely contradicts the teaching of Islam and its tolerant principles.”Denunciations of the Boko Haram abductions also came from a pre-eminent Islamic theological institute in Egypt, Al-Azhar, which said on Tuesday that the abduction “completely contradicts the teaching of Islam and its tolerant principles.”
The actress Angelina Jolie, who is the special envoy for the United Nations refugee agency, said at an appearance in Paris that Boko Haram’s actions were “unthinkable cruelty and evil.”The actress Angelina Jolie, who is the special envoy for the United Nations refugee agency, said at an appearance in Paris that Boko Haram’s actions were “unthinkable cruelty and evil.”
The denunciations came as news agencies reported that suspected Boko Haram gunmen had abducted eight more girls on Sunday from the village of Warabe, also in Borno State. The reports quoted residents and one unidentified police source as saying that the girls, ages 12 to 15, had been forcefully removed in a house-to-house search. There was no confirmation of the abductions from the Nigerian authorities.
“Honestly I am not aware of it,” said the police commissioner of Borno State, Lawan Tanko.