United Nations Secretary-Gen­eral, Ban Ki-moon, yesterday congratulated Nigeri­ans for holding “largely peaceful and orderly” elections despite Boko Haram attacks and urged them to continue to main­tain a peaceful atmo­sphere.

In a statement, he condemned attacks carried out by Boko Ha­ram and others who have attempted to disrupt the presidential and parlia­mentary polls.

He, however, said that Nigerians had shown resil­ience by pressing forward and turning out to vote “in the face of unjustifiable violence.”

The UN secretary called on all sides to continue to shun violence throughout the ongoing vote and the an­nouncement of the results. He said all voting complaints should be resolved through dispute resolution mecha­nisms.

“The successful conclu­sion of the electoral process will mark an important step forward in further consoli­dating democracy and the rule of law in Nigeria,” he said.

•Adapted from a Daily Sun report. Photo shows Ki-moon.