About 223 children, including 10 girls, have been released from the Nigerian Army administrative custody and Maiduguri Maximum Security Prison after being cleared of suspected ties with armed groups, the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) has said.
The children were released to Borno state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, UNICEF and Borno state authorities in Maiduguri, North-east Nigeria on Tuesday night.
In a statement Wednesday evening, Borno state Communication Officer UNICEF, Samuel Kaalu, said the children will immediately be enrolled in a reintegration programme to enable them to re-engage with their families.
Mr Kaalu said some of the children are reported to have been missing for up to four and five years, with many presumed dead by their families.
UNICEF Country Representative, Peter Hawkins, described the release of the children as a huge step forward towards ensuring the well-being of children in conflict areas.
“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,” he said.
