Hillary Clinton Calls Nigeria Kidnappings 'An Act Of Terrorism'

Hillary Clinton made the comments in an interview with ABC's Robin Roberts.

ByABC News
May 7, 2014, 1:29 PM

May 7, 2014 -- Hillary Clinton today called the kidnapping of more than 300 school girls in Nigeria “abominable”, “criminal” and “an act of terrorism.”

The government of Nigeria has been “somewhat derelict in its responsibility” to protect children, she said in a conversation with ABC’s Robin Roberts. “They need to make it a priority.”

The former secretary of state added, “The Nigerian government must accept help.”

“It’s horrible, Robin, it’s horrible," she said.

Clinton’s comments come as global uproar continues to mount over the fate of the hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in mid-April, and just one day after UNICEF confirmed the abduction of 8 more girls.

ABC News Full Coverage: Nigeria Kidnappings

On Tuesday, the White House announced it is sending a team to Nigeria to aid the effort to find the girls and those responsible. On Sunday, Hillary Clinton tweeted her support of the effort to find the girls.

During the question-and-answer session at the Ford Foundation, Roberts also asked Clinton about the renewed interest in the 2012 terrorist attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya which could become a stumbling block for Clinton should she decide to run for president in 2016.

“Were you satisfied with the answers and are you content with what you know what happened?” Roberts asked.

“Absolutely. I mean, of course there are a lot of reasons why -- despite all of the hearings, all of the information that’s been provided -- some choose not to be satisfied and choose to continue to move forward,” Clinton said. “That’s their choice and I do not believe there is any reason for it to continue in this way, but they get to call the shots in Congress.”

WATCH: Hillary Clinton Testifies on Benghazi Consulate Attack

Just a few weeks ago, Clinton called the incident her “biggest regret” during her tenure at the state department.

Clinton’s come on the heels of House Speaker John Boehner’s call early last week for the formation of a select committee to investigate the attack that claimed four American lives.

Clinton’s remarks came at Philanthropy New York’s annual meeting.