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From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has welcomed the release of four of the girls abducted by insurgents in early January at a remote community near Chibok, Borno, Nigeria’s restive northeast state.
The global body in a statement said the four released by the armed group on Sunday were among the 22 girls kidnapped by the armed group at Kautikari community about five kilometres to Chibok where roughly 276 teenagers were also abducted in 2014.
UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, said the news was a relief for the released girls and their families.
‘After their harrowing experience, it is good news that the girls are back with their families and friends, where they belong,’ Hawkins said.
He however noted that dozens of children in northeast Nigeria remain in captivity as victims of an armed conflict they have nothing to do with.
‘This is unconscionable. Children have the right to a safe environment, health, education and freedom from abuse and torture – all of which remain compromised when they are in captivity,’ he said.
He called for the immediate release of all conflict-affected children held in captivity across the northeast
Chibok came to global attention in 2014 when 276 schoolgirls were abducted from their school on April 14 of the same year. About 173 of the Chibok girls are still missing in the incident regarded as the first mass abduction by an armed group in the country.
