Nigerian Army releases 223 children cleared of having ties with Boko Haram

A total number of 223 children including 10 girls have been released from Nigerian Army administrative custody and Maiduguri Maximum Security Prison after being cleared of suspected ties with armed groups.

According to a press statement signed by Mr. Samuel Kaalu, United Nations Children Fund, (UNICEF), Communication Officer in Borno state, the children 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.

Kaalu said that the children will immediately be enrolled in a reintegration programme to enable them to re-engage with their families.

“The children will now 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.

‘’Last night, 223 children including 10 girls were released from Nigerian Army administrative custody and Maiduguri Maximum Security Prison after they were 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.

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“The children will now 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. “Some of the children had been missing for up to 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.

Reacting to the development, UNICEF Country Representative, Peter Hawkins says the release of the children is 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.”

Now in its tenth year, the conflict in the north-east Nigeria continues to uproot and devastate the lives of tens of thousands of children, women and men.

Since 2016, about 1,743 children associated with armed groups (1,125 boys, 618 girls) have been released from administrative custody.