Skip to main content

Nigerian Military hands over 23 rescued children to UNICEF through Borno State

The Nigerian military has handed over 23 children who were formerly associated with Boko Haram insurgents, to UNICEF through the Borno State government. 



The children were picked up during various military operations around the north-east region. Aged between 17 and 10 years, the boys and girls confessed to the military that they have been assisting the Boko Haram insurgents either as fighters or domestic helps in the camps.



The Theatre Commander of a military counterinsurgency force, Abba Dikko, said the 23 children were released in line with Nigeria military’s commitment to the observance of human rights. He observed that the children and other vulnerable persons were victims who faced with the highly unstable circumstances induced by the conflict would have had little option but to fall under the thrall of the insurgents. 

“We were able to identify this category of people, especially the women, the aged and children to whom it behooves our sense of duty and responsibility to ensure that they are removed from harm’s way and reconditioned and then passed on to those institutions that are responsible for their reintegration to normal ways of life.” 



Having established a component of the Operation Lafiya Dole which monitors and ensures adherence to rights protection, Mr Dikko, a Major General, said “the Nigeria military will continue to abide by the global best practices in its effort to remove all children associated with armed conflicts in northeast Nigeria. 



On that note the 23 children among whom were teenage girls that are pregnant, were handed over to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) through the Borno State government. The Head of the UNICEF field office in Borno State, Geoffrey Ijumba, said “the release of the 23 children was a demonstration of the military’s commitment towards the protection of people’s rights in conflict situation.” 



Ijumba commended the military for its commitment to protecting the wellbeing of conflict affected children and said that UNICEF will work with the Borno State ministry of women affairs to provide the children with medical and psychosocial support before reuniting them with their families and integrating them in the larger society. 



The children will be camped at the state rehabilitation centre where they will stay for a minimum of 12-weeks during which they will receive medical attention and full spectrum support to prepare them for their eventual reintegration. He said UNICEF has, since 2017, supported the social and economic reintegration of more than 8, 700 children previously associated with non-state actors in the northeast Nigeria by helping to trace their families, returning them to their communities and offering them psychosocial support and informal apprenticeship to help better their livelihoods.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vulvar Care Tips

Vulva Care Maintaining a healthy vulva and vagina will help prevent infections and discomfort. Unusual changes in vaginal discharge is a sign that there might be an issue. Why is vulvar and vagina care important? Many women experience uncomfortable, vaginal infections (vaginitis) at one time or another. The area around the entrance to the vagina (vulva) can also become irritated. Steps can be taken to relieve and prevent vulvar discomfort and vaginal infections. Not all vaginal infections are alike and home treatments can worsen some types. If you have any concerns about your vulvar or vaginal health, or notice unusual changes in vaginal discharge, contact your healthcare provider if the problem persists. What is the vulva? The vulva is the area of female sex organs that lies outside of the vagina. These organs include folds of sensitive tissue called the labia (labia means "lips"). The labia has two parts. The outermost folds are called the labia majora. A secon...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chechnya leader makes Mo Salah honorary citizen

Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov has made Egypt’s talismanic striker Mohamed Salah an honorary citizen of the southern Russian region at a farewell banquet held for the eliminated World Cup side. Rights groups and Western governments allege that authorities in Chechnya repress their political opponents, discriminate against women and persecute sexual minorities, all allegations that Chechnya’s leaders deny. Chechnya has been hosting the Egyptian team’s World Cup training camp and Kremlin-backed Kadyrov has seized on opportunities to appear alongside Salah. Sarah’s goalscoring exploits for Liverpool and Egypt have made him an international superstar. “Mohamed Salah is an honorary citizen of the Chechen Republic. “Yes, that’s right! Tonight I signed a decree conferring this high award on the great footballer and member of the Egypt and Liverpool teams,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram. Salah was presented with a badge and a copy of the decree at the dinner, Kadyrov said. The Egy...
Post a Comment
Read more

Oil prices rise amidst uncertainty over Libyan crude exports

Oil prices rose, Tuesday on uncertainty over Libyan oil exports, although plans by producer cartel OPEC to raise output loom. Brent sweet crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, were at 74.95 dollars per barrel at 01.04 GMT, up 22 cents, or 0.3 per cent from their last close. The United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at 68.33 dollars a barrel, up 25 cents, or 0.4 per cent. Traders said prices were mostly driven higher by uncertainty around oil exports by Libya, a member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Eastern Libyan commander, Khalifa Haftar’s forces have handed control of oil ports to a separate National Oil Corporation (NOC) based in the East of the country. The official state-owned oil company based in the capital Tripoli, also called NOC, will not be allowed to handle that oil anymore, he said. In comments later confirmed to the media, Ahmed Mismari, spokesman of Haftar’s Libya National Army...
Post a Comment
Read more