The United Nations Children’s Fund says it is working with Yobe government to provide support for the Dapchi girls freed from Boko Haram captivity.
UNICEF representative in Mohamed Fall, in a statement said the fund is “delighted that the girls abducted on 19 February 2018 from a school in Dapchi, Yobe state, northeast Nigeria were returned to their families.
“Over the last one month, the girls may have been exposed to physical and sexual violence. They need the support of their families and communities to feel safe and return to school.
“UNICEF is also working with civil society organizations to ensure that each girl receives individual attention – from medical treatment to psychosocial support.
“Our condolences to the families whose daughters could not come home. As we await further confirmation, five girls have reportedly died. UNICEF grieves with the families who lost their daughters.
“We are grateful for the efforts of all parties in ensuring safe return of the girls to their families.
It reiterated that schools must be safe places and protected at all time.
Nearly 2,300 teachers have been killed and 19,000 displaced since that start of the insurgency in 2009.
Almost 1,400 schools have been destroyed.
