By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
The Nigerian Army has released 223 children including 10 girls from administrative custody and Maiduguri Maximum Security Prison.
A statement issued yesterday by Samuel Kaalu Communication Officer, UNICEF Nigeria -Bauchi Field Office, said the children were released after being cleared of suspected ties with armed groups.
“They were released to the safe custody of Borno State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, UNICEF and Borno State authorities in Maiduguri, north-east Nigeria.”
The statement said the children will immediately enter a programme that will help them reintegrate into their communities, re-engage with their families, and take the first steps towards creating a new life and means of livelihood.
UNICEF said some of the children had been missing for four to five years, with many presumed dead by their families.
“The release of these children is a huge step forward and one to be welcomed and celebrated,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative. “These children deserve to have a normal childhood – and now require our full care and support to re-enter the lives that were so brutally interrupted by this devastating conflict.”
