The United Nations has condemned the reported abduction of Internally Displaced Persons, many of whom are women, boys and girls, in the Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State.

“The exact number of people abducted remains unknown but is estimated at over 200 people,” Ann Weru, Head of Public Information, Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the UN in Nigeria, said in a statement mailed to PUNCH Online on Wednesday.

“On 29 February, members of a non-state armed group (NSAG) allegedly abducted the IDPs who had reportedly ventured beyond the safety of the trenches surrounding Ngala – from the ISS, Zulum, Kaigama, and Arabic IDP camps – in search of firewood.

“While an unspecified number of older women and children under 10 have reportedly been released, scores of IDPs remain unaccounted for, according to protection partners.

“I stand in solidarity with the families of all those abducted, especially children, and their communities, and urge those who have abducted them to release them without harm,” the statement quoted Mohamed Malick Fall, Resident Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs, as saying.

“On behalf of the United Nations, I remind all parties to the conflict to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians from harm,” Fall, according to the statement, said.

The statement noted that the humanitarian coordinator, who is also an Assistant Secretary-General of the UN, urged authorities and other partners to provide more livelihood opportunities for IDPs in camps in Borno State, alongside ongoing efforts for lasting solutions, to reduce the risks of insecurity and violence faced by IDPs.

“More than two million people in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) states have fled to garrison towns where they have few, if any, livelihood options. Those who venture beyond the protective trenches surrounding these towns to forage or farm do so at great peril, with killings, abductions, forced recruitment, and sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) rampant,” the UN lamented in the statement.

“Two days to the commemoration of International Women’s Day, this incident is a stark reminder that women and girls are among those most affected by conflict. The crisis in the BAY states is disproportionately affecting women, boys and girls,” the global administrative body lamented in the statement.

The UN lamented a high prevalence of GBV against women and adolescent girls, while boys are targeted for recruitment by NSAGs.