By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Felicia Nwamkpuma, has confirmed that five missing male children rescued by the police from different parts of the state have been handed over to the ministry for investigation and possible reunification with their families.

The commissioner, who was represented by the Head of the Child Development Department, Mr. Emmanuel Nkwuda, disclosed this during a press briefing at the Ebonyi State Juvenile Remand Home in Ugwuachara, Abakaliki, on Sunday.

According to her, the children, aged between three and 14, were found wandering in various locations across the state on different dates and were subsequently taken into protective custody by officers of the Nigerian Police Force, Ebonyi State Command.

“These vulnerable children were found by the police at different times and handed over to the Ministry of Women Affairs to enable us trace their families and reunite them,” she said.

Nwamkpuma revealed that while the youngest child has spent about two months in the facility, others have remained there for as long as one to four years.

She called on parents or guardians searching for missing children to visit the ministry with relevant evidence for proper identification and possible reunion.

She warned that if the parents or relatives fail to show up within a reasonable period, the ministry may be compelled to initiate fostering or adoption processes in line with the Ebonyi State Child Rights Law to safeguard the children’s welfare.

“This is a remand home, not a transit camp. Ordinarily, children are not supposed to stay here beyond one or two months. Their best interest at this age is to grow up in a home environment where they can receive proper care, education and guidance,” she stated.

The commissioner explained that the ministry does not operate a school or skill acquisition centre within the facility, stressing that prolonged stay without meaningful engagement could negatively affect the children’s development.

She emphasised that the ministry’s primary responsibility is the protection and promotion of children’s rights, including the right to identity, dignity and family life.

Nwamkpuma also advised parents to be security conscious and to have only the number of children they can adequately cater for, considering their financial capacity and schedules.

She cautioned against allowing strangers to interact freely with children, recalling a recent incident in the Nkwagu axis of the state where some women were allegedly deceived and three children taken away.

The ministry urged members of the public with relevant information to come forward to help reunite the children with their families.