The UN has negotiated the release of 876 children detained by Nigeria’s army and security forces after they have retook land from Boko Haram militants, a senior official has told Reuters.
The children had been held in the barracks in the city of Maiduguri in north-eastern Nigeria Unicef’s Manuel Fontaine told AFP.
The army routinely detains civilians who have been living in areas that had been ruled by the Islamist militants on suspicion that they too might be linked to militant activities.
However, rights groups complain there is no proper legal process since they do not get formally charged.
Some end up rehabilitation centres, which the groups say are like prisons.
