UNICEF lauds release of 900 children from armed group

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has lauded the release of 894 children, including 106 girls from the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Maiduguri yesterday. The UNICEF representative in Nigeria and the co-chair of the United Nations Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting on Grave Child Rights Violations (CTFMR), Muhammed Fall, while reacting […]

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has lauded the release of 894 children, including 106 girls from the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Maiduguri yesterday.

The UNICEF representative in Nigeria and the co-chair of the United Nations Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting on Grave Child Rights Violations (CTFMR), Muhammed Fall, while reacting to the release of the children, said any commitment for children that is matched with action is a step in the right direction for the protection of children’s rights and must be recognised and encouraged.

“Children of North-east Nigeria have borne the brunt of this conflict. They have been used by armed groups in combatant and non-combatant roles and witnessed death, killing and violence. This participation in the conflict has had serious implications for their physical and emotional well-being,” he said.