On Monday, Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat condemned the abduction of schoolchildren and women in northwestern Nigeria.
The AU Commission chairperson "strongly condemns the mass abduction of schoolchildren and women in northwestern Nigeria," as he called for the swift return of the abducted children and women, an AU statement issued late Saturday said.
According to reports, gunmen kidnapped more than 200 school pupils in Nigeria's northwestern town of Kuriga on Thursday, which is said to be the biggest mass abduction from a school in recent years.
Denouncing the abduction that followed an armed intrusion into Kuriga town by the gang of gunmen, Faki said the incident is the latest manifestation of the threats posed by terrorism and insecurity against Nigeria in particular and the wider African continent in general.
He affirmed that "this despicable act is a further illustration of the pervading threat posed by terrorism, violent extremism and banditry to the peace and stability of the Nigerian state, the West African region, and the continent as a whole."
The chairperson of the 55-member pan-African bloc further called for the "immediate and unconditional" release of the abducted children and women.
Gunmen abducted at least 287 students in an assault on schools on Thursday in Nigeria's northwestern state of Kaduna, prompting security forces to launch a search and rescue operation, according to local authorities.
While no specific armed group has claimed responsibility for this latest incident, it echoes a similar mass kidnapping that occurred about a decade ago in April 2014. Back then, more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted from their dormitories in the northeastern state of Borno by the Boko Haram terror group.