Home NEWS UNICEF Commends Nigerian Army For Release Of 183 Kids Boko Haram Suspects

UNICEF Commends Nigerian Army For Release Of 183 Kids Boko Haram Suspects

The United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) has commended the Nigerian Army and the government for releasing 183 children after being cleared of ties with Boko Haram insurgents in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State.

Reacting to the release of the children in a statement today, Monday, UNICEF representative in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall said: “these 8 girls and 175 boys are first and foremost victims of the ongoing conflict and their release is an important step on their long road to recovery.

“We will be working with the Borno State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and partners to provide the children with all the assistance they need. I also want to commend the action taken by the military and the authorities; it demonstrates a clear commitment to better protect children affected by the conflict.”

Some of the teenage Boko Haram fighters handed over by the military to the UN for rehabilitation | Photo by Channelstv

After having been held in administrative custody, the children will receive medical attention and psychosocial support before the process of reuniting them with their families and reintegrating them into society begins.

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Since 2017, UNICEF has supported the social and economic reintegration of more than 8,700 children released from armed groups, helping to trace their families, returning them to their communities, and offering them psychosocial support, education, vocational training and informal apprenticeships, and opportunities to improve livelihoods.