63 Unaccompanied Children, Six Pregnant Women Among Those Rescued

Of the 275 persons that were rescued and
handed over to the National Emergency
Management Agency by the 23 Armoured
Brigade of the Nigerian Army about two weeks
ago, 63 children were unaccompanied while six
women have been confirmed pregnant.
It was learnt that more rescued victims from
insurgents in Sambisa Forest were still being
expected from the Nigerian Army as the Federal
Government, in conjunction with humanitarian
experts from the United Nations, were working
hard to help reintegrate the women and children
with their respective families.
NEMA’s Senior Information Officer, Mr. Sani Datti,
confirmed to our correspondent on Sunday that
the rescued victims were being catered for in
various camps by the agency and the UN.
He noted that the UN Resident Coordinator in
Nigeria, Daouda Toure, and NEMA’s Director-
General, Mohammed Sani Sidi, assured the
rescued women and children of social,
psychological and health supports before they
reintegrate with their families.
The duo made the pledge when they interacted
with the Internally Displaced Persons at Malkohi
Camp, Yola.
Sidi said the agency had engaged tailors to sew at
least five sets of clothes for each of the rescued
women and children as most of them came with
only the clothes they wore.
The NEMA DG said a mobile clinic had been
deployed for medical screening to identify those
who need treatment, while the agency, in
collaboration with UN agencies, had mobilised a
team of experts in psycho trauma counselling
and medical doctors to provide all the necessary
medical care to the rescued.
He said most of the rescued children were
severely malnourished and had eye infections.
Toure told the rescued women and children that
the world and their families had missed them but
the UN agencies would support the Nigerian
government in providing their needs to facilitate
their reintegration with their communities.
He said the UN had directed all its relevant
agencies to provide all the needed assistance and
support to them.
According to NEMA, infant feeding, children’s
clothes, diapers and sanitation items were
provided to 21 nursing mothers.
The 23 Armoured Brigade of the Nigerian Army
based in Yola, Adamawa State, handed over 275
women and children rescued from insurgents in
Sambisa forest to NEMA for rehabilitation.
The Commander, 23 Armoured Brigade, Col. Aba
Popoola, was quoted as saying that “on behalf of
the Nigerian Army, I want to hand over 275
rescued women and children that we rescued
from Sambisa forest to the National Emergency
Management Agency for care and welfare.”