The Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) is a militant group was formed in 2013 with the aim of countering the Boko Haram threat.
According to UNICEF more than 3,500 children were recruited between 2013 and 2017 to join battle and used as combatants and non-combatants in the war.
“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,” said Mohamed Fall, Representative of UNICEF in Nigeria and the Co-chair of United Nations Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting on Grave Child Rights Violations (CTFMR).
“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.”
UNICEF said some children were maimed, raped and even killed.
The agency said it would rehabilitate the freed children before they are reintegrated back into their communities.
“We cannot give up the fight for the children, as long as children are still affected by the fighting. We will continue until there is no child left in the ranks of all armed groups in Nigeria,” said Fall.
UNICEF said 1,727 children and young people have been released since 2017 following the signing of an action plan committing to put measures in place to end and prevent recruitment and use of children.
Nigeria has been dogged by the Boko Haram insurgency for more than a decade, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions others.
The most affected part has been northeast Nigeria, where the militants have carried out numerous attacks and forced people to flee their homes.
A counter terrorism drive by Nigeria and a neighbouring states has forced the group into hiding, though it still manages to stage attacks occasionally, mostly by use of suicide bombers.
Crushing Boko Haram remains a key agenda of current President Muhammadu Buhari.
