In Nigeria, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari is leading in the presidential election. With over half of states declared, Buhari is ahead by about two million votes, threatening to make President Goodluck Jonathan the first incumbent to lose at the polls in Nigeria’s history. The polling took place amid violent attacks which killed an estimated 50 people. Addressing the U.N. Security Council by video stream, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, head of the U.N. Office for West Africa, described the ongoing threat from the militant group Boko Haram.

Mohammed Ibn Chambas: “Today, as we meet, though weakened, the group continues to commit horrendous acts against civilians, including women and children. We’ve received reports that children, in particular, have been abducted, abused, recruited, maimed and killed. Schools in northeast Nigeria are no longer safe places of learning, as many of them continue to be attacked, looted and destroyed. Several schools in the areas targeted by Boko Haram in Cameroon and Niger also remain closed.”